Harry Potter and the Year of Truth
by Lily Rose Potter
Summary: What were Harry’s parents really like? Harry comes to face this hard question in his fourth year. With a few new friends to help him on the way, read as Harry uncovers a secret about his family that will forever change his life. In process of editing.
1. Sally

Disclaimer: Original Harry Potter characters belong to JK. Sally is MINE! You can't have her. The plot line is mine, and I did not copy it from anybody, or borrow anyone's ideas. This is all, unfortunately, straight from my own mind. If you want to use something in this story, I will probably let you, just ask. Don't sue me, I don't have any money. 

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(A/N: Just to keep you from getting confused, this is a story about Harry's fourth year. It does follow the first three stories, but not the forth, because I started writing before the forth book was out. A big thank you to my beta, who caught more mistakes then there where words. She does a great job.)

Chapter 1

When Harry Met Sally

Harry glanced up at his bedside table to check his clock. It read 11:56 p.m. He placed a large X over another day on his calendar, it was the eighth X he had put on the calendar. He had only been back at the Dursleys for a week, but it had felt like a year to him.

All he had done since he had come home from school was clean, and today had been no exception. He had cleaned out the attic, and as a result was exhausted. 

Just as Harry was about to fall into his bed, an owl flew in through the window. He recognized it right away as Ron's owl that Sirius had given him. Harry groaned as he untied the letter and put the owl in Hedwig's cage. Setting the letter on his desk, he fell backwards on his bed, and went instantly to sleep.

Harry woke early the next morning. A glance at the cage told him that the owl had left sometime during the night. After putting on his glasses, he picked up the letter and tore it open. Out of it fell a picture of his third year at Hogwarts. He instantly recognized the day the picture had been taken; the day when Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup.

He could tell it was a not a Muggle picture because everyone in it was moving. There he was in the middle, laughing hard. Ron was on his right, saying something to Hermione, on Harry's left. Ginny, Ron's younger sister, was on Hermione's right side, smiling happily. Fred and George were in the back giving Ginny and Ron bunny ears with identical grins.

Harry smiled at the picture, then sighed as he realized how lonely he really was. He pulled the letter out of the envelope.

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Dear Harry,

This is one of the many_ pictures that Colin took. He sent loads to me with a note about running out of space to store them all. This was one of the few with Hermione in it. It was one of the few times we pulled her away from her books. I reckoned you would want it more than me, since I have to see all of these people's faces every day anyway. The owl's name is Chudley. He's loud, so send him back so he doesn't upset the Muggles. Don't let them get to you, Harry. They're idiots. Try to have a good summer. Hope you can come over soon, Hermione too. I need her help with my homework, or otherwise I'd just leave her to her studying all summer. _

Your best friend,

Ron

Harry set the letter on his desk, and he slipped the picture into the back of the photo album with all of his parents' pictures that Hagrid had given him. Rather than cheer him up, which was most likely what Ron was trying to do, the picture only made him feel more lonely.

Walking into the kitchen, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were sitting at the table. None of them acknowledged that Harry had just walked in to the room. He sighed, took a piece of toast, and went outside. 

He was supposed to weed and work the garden today. He didn't mind the work, really. It gave him _something_ to do. Not to mention it was always a good idea to keep his Aunt and Uncle in a good mood.

Returning to the Dursleys this year had sent Harry in to a depression. Getting his hopes up about living with Sirius had only made it harder it come back to the Dursleys. Sirius never said where he was exactly, but he told Harry that he had left the continent, and Harry had a feeling that Sirius had fled to The States.

A few minutes later, the sun was beating down on Harry's bare back as he trimmed, weeded, fertilized, pruned, and watered the left half of the garden. When he had finished the first half, he stopped to take a break under the shade of a tree.

As he sat there, lost in his own depressing thoughts, a movement in the grass caught his eye. He watched it for a moment, and out of the grass came a small snake. Desperate for someone to talk to, Harry called out to it.

"Hey!" he cried, but what came out of his mouth was a hissing sound. The little green and orange snake stopped, and turned around.

"Me?" it hissed.

"Want to stay and talk a while?" Harry rarely used the gift of being a Parselmouth he had been blessed, or rather cursed, with.

The snake slid toward him, and looked concerned. Harry wondered for a moment how it was possible for him to know that, when a snake really only had two facial expressions; asleep, and awake. 

"Why are you ssso lonely?" she, the voice was female, asked.

"Everybody around here hates me, all my friends are miles away," Harry said with a shrug. "Anyway what's your name?"

"Sssally, and what is yoursss?" 

"Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry."

"You too. What kind of snake are you?" He knew a little about snakes, but she looked like no kind he had ever seen before.

"I'm a common Garter sssnake, but I'm very rare around here. I come from North America." Now that he knew that what he was hearing and understanding was in fact not English, Harry could hear the hissing of a snake coming from her. But still, he heard plain English, if only with the s's a little drawn out. 

"How did you end up on this side of the Atlantic?"

"My mother'sss massster wasss a sssnake breeder. He came here on holiday, but brought her along. Illegally, I guessssss. She left her massster. She was much too sssmart for him. Her gift wasss intelligence, and he had no magic."

"What do you mean her gift?"

"Well, every sssnake with magical abilitiesss hasss a gift. One thing they can magically do. Didn't you know that?" Harry shook his head. He knew that magical animals had different talents, but he had never heard of 'gifts'.

"Then there are talentsss all magical sssnakesss have. We can feel the magic in other sssnakesss, or people. But all of usss have a gift that no other sssnake alive hasss."

"What's your gift?"

"It'sss complicated, but basssically I can read what you're feeling. I know your emotionsss. That'sss the actual gift, though there are a lot of thingsss that go along with it."

"So that's how you knew I was lonely," he said with a smile.

She nodded. "But you aren't anymore. I've never met a Parssselmouth before."

"Well it's a rare gift. It's an interesting story how I got it, or how I think that I got it."

"Would you tell me pleassse?"

"I can't right now. If I don't get back to the garden my Aunt will have my head."

"That sssoundsss painful. I can help if you would like."

"You want to?" He really wouldn't mind having some intelligent company. Not that Hedwig wasn't intelligent, but she couldn't hold a real conversation with him.

"I'd love to. You're the most interesssting perssson I've met all week. Actually you're the only one that didn't ssscream when they sssaw me." Harry chuckled as she wrapped around his neck.

Sally helped him finish the rest of the garden. Although she couldn't do much, she kept him company. When he was finished, he carried her back over to the tree and sat back down in the shade. He knew his back was burnt, but didn't seem important right now.

"Ssso how did you become a parssselmouth?" she asked, curling around his knee.

Harry plunged into his life story. About how Voldemort had killed his parents, but couldn't kill Harry, about living more then ten horrid years with the Dursleys, about finding out he was a wizard, and about going to Hogwarts.

Maybe it was because Sally was a snake, or maybe it was because she just had that personality you could trust, or the fact that she knew how you felt before you told her. Maybe it was because there was no possible way for her to ever tell anybody else. Whatever it was, Harry felt he could tell her anything without feeling ashamed, embarrassed, guilty, or worried. So he started to tell her about his first and second year at Hogwarts, and facing Voldemort both times.

"Ssso you're the one that killed the Basssilisssk!" she exclaimed

"Yes I was. Why?"

"Why? That wasss the only remaining Basssilisssk! Didn't you know what hisss feelingsss were towardsss other sssnakesss?"

Harry was confused. "No."

"It is actually only other magical sssnakesss, but he hated usss. Felt that he wasss the bessst, and any other sssnake had to either be hisss ssservant or dead. It'sss a skill that all magical sssnakesss have developed over the years. We can alwaysss feel a Basilisk if there isss one alive, ssso we can avoid it. We sssenssse when it isss born, and the awarenessssss will ssstaysss with all of usss until it diesss. We knew when he wasss killed."

"That's a really useful thing to have." Harry paused to think for a moment about how different the magical world would be if other people could talk to snakes. "Anyway," Harry began tell her about Sirius and his third year at Hogwarts when a voice spoke behind them.

"You can't really understand what that thing's saying." Harry spun around to see Dudley standing behind them doing his best to look like he was not afraid of the snake. 

"Sure I can." Harry turned back to Sally, ignoring Dudley. But Harry's cousin wasn't satisfied.

"You're just faking it."

Harry turned and glared at him. "Would you excuse us? We're trying to have a conversation."

"Prove it then, make it wrap around your neck or something."

"First of all," Harry said impatiently, "she's not an 'it', her name is Sally. Second of all," he grinned mischievously, "I have a better idea." Dudley's eyes narrowed, clearly wondering what Harry's 'better idea' was. Harry said something to Sally. She looked hesitant. Harry rolled his eyes and said something else. 

Sally suddenly slid off Harry's knee and on to the grass. She started towards Dudley, whose eyes widened with horror. He turned around and ran as fast that his fat little legs would carry him. Sally returned to Harry, and shook her head. "I shouldn't have done that. Fear isss a nasssty feeling." She smiled, though nothing in her appearance changed, Harry still knew she was smiling. "But he really did dessserve it."

Harry grinned. "He deserves so much more, it just isn't my place to give it to him."

When the two of them stopped laughing, he continued with his story. "So anyway, Hermione, Ron and I were hurrying back to the castle when Ron..."

By the time Harry finished his story, it was getting late. He had been talking for at least four hours, yet his voice wasn't hoarse. _'You can probably talk forever in Parseltongue and not get hoarse,'_ Harry thought. _'It's just like breathing.'_ But since he had only a piece of toast all day, he didn't want to miss dinner.

"I guess I should really be getting inside," he said sadly.

"Can I go inside with you?" she asked timidly.

"Do you really want to?"

"I don't really have much to go home to, my life ssseemsss boring now."

"Then of course you can stay, for as long as you want." Harry's heart lifted at the prospect of having a friend around.

"Thank you ssso much! What doesss my name sssound like in English?"

Harry tried to tell her, but what came out of his mouth was in Parseltongue. He laughed as he stood up. "I'm new at this Parselmouth thing. I can't speak English and look at you, and I can't speak Parseltongue when I'm not looking at you." 

"Well then turn around." Harry turned his head, as though he was looking behind him. He said 'Sally' in English. He turned back to Sally and started toward the house.

"Do you think you can answer to that? At least until I get better at this?"

"Of courssse! Would you teach me more English?"

"Yes, if you want to. I don't have anything better to do. Exactly how big will you get?"

"Around three feet when I'm fully grown."

"Well, time to meet my Aunt and Uncle." A smile crept across Harry's face. When he went into the kitchen Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley were eating dinner. None of them looked up at him. He sat down and served himself some mashed potatoes. Sally was on top of Harry's head when Dudley turned to glare at him.

Dudley suddenly spit his only partially chewed food back out onto his plate, while his eyes widened in horror. "You brought that thing inside!"

Harry's Aunt and Uncle looked up at him. Aunt Petunia let out a small scream when she spotted Sally, and Harry's smile widened. "Oh I'm very sorry. I haven't introduced you yet, have I? Everybody, this is Sally." 

Harry then turned his head to Sally, who was now on his arm. He started speaking to her, which to his Aunt and Uncle, sounded like he was having some sort of fit, hissing non-stop. He pointed to each of them in turn, but they had no way of knowing that Harry was calling them something much less flattering then their names.

Uncle Vernon's eyes were wide with amazement, and horror. "B-but- you- they'll- no- expelled!" The bewilderment was starting to wear off, and anger was taking its place. His face was beginning to turn red.

Harry gave a small laugh. "I'm not using magic to talk to snakes Uncle Vernon. At least not anything the Ministry can detect. It's a gift, a rare talent that was given to me by the wizard Voldemort after he killed my parents and failed to kill me." This was just too much for Uncle Vernon to take in at once. Harry had just said at least three words that were forbidden in that house. His face was now purple.

"Get rid of it! Then go to your room!"

"No," Harry said calmly.

"What did you say?" Vernon said dangerously.

"No," Harry said, slightly more forceful this time. Uncle Vernon stood so suddenly his chair fell over. Harry's anger took control, and he jumped out of his seat too. "And if you so much as lay a finger on Sally or I, I'll have my Godfather here faster than you can say 'curse,' now sit down Vernon!" Vernon's glass shattered. Even Harry was surprised by his sudden angry outburst.

All three of the Dursleys looked at the shattered glass, and were suddenly reminded of last year. Vernon turned around, picked up his chair, sat down and continued eating without another word. Dudley and Aunt Petunia stared between Harry, who was still standing, and Uncle Vernon, and then they too returned to their forgotten plates. Nobody acknowledged the glass again.

"I can't believe I just did that," Harry said to Sally in Parseltongue as he too took his seat again.

"Oh it'sss a good thing you did. You were feeling frussstration over the passst few daysss with thossse moronsss. Conssstant frussstration with people or thingsss can lead to hate. It's againssst your moralsss to hate. It'sss alssso, from what you've told me, againssst your blood, which are both good thingsss. Ssso you had to let that frussstration out in another way. You picked shouting, my persssonal favorite."

Harry starred at her for a minute. He didn't understand all of it, but he caught the basic meaning. "And you got all of that out of my emotions?"

She nodded. "I've ssstudied a few humansss. I love to learn. Thessse are jussst thingsss that I've found out by watching them, and their emotionsss. Shouting isss only one way to let frussstration out. You could alssso let it out physssically. Like beating sssomething. But if you don't let it out, it might come out in bad waysss, like ssself dessstruction, or violence."

Harry grinned. "I think I'm going to like having you around, Sally."

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(A/N: When Sally talks, all the 's' sounding words would be held out, including soft 'c's. I don't write the 'c's out because it's hard enough to read as it is, and I don't want to confuse you anymore then I have too. I hope you enjoyed it.)


	2. The Ring

Chapter 2

The Ring

Later that night Harry sat up in his room talking to Sally.

"Ooh. Harry it'sss cold in here." Harry smiled.

"I like it breezy. But your cold blooded aren't you?" She nodded. Harry went over to his desk and took the chair from it. He took his reading light off his bed and clipped it to the back of the chair. Turning it on he laid Sally down on the chair. "Better?"

"Yesss, thank you."

"So do you hibernate?"

"Yesss, but I don't need to. I won't mate unlesss I hibernate though."

"I think that's a good thing. I'll get you a cage when I get to Diagon Alley."

"Thanks. Can I sssee your broom and wand and ssstuff?"

"Yeah," Harry pulled his trunk out of the corner. It was thank to Sirius that he had his school things in his room this year. The Dursleys were afraid to lock them away. Harry showed her his broom.

"It mussst be amazing to fly," she said looking at the broom. "I've ssseen birdsss do it." her voice sounded almost longing. 

"I've got an idea!" Harry grabbed a quill and started a letter.

Dear Ron,

Thanks for the picture. I'd like to come and see you in two days, if that's all right. If it is I'd just stay for the day though. There's somebody I want you to meet. Write me back as soon as possible, I'll need Hedwig to show me the way.

Hope to see you soon,

Harry

Harry gave the letter to Hedwig and she flew out the window. Sally looked at him puzzled.

"What are you all excited about?" she asked.

"I can't tell you. Can you read my emotions without trying?"

"Well if I really don't want to know, I just avoid your eyesss."

Harry showed her his wand, books, and the Marauder's Map. Then, saving the best for last, he dug his most prized possession out of the bottom. 

"This was my dad's, an invisibility cloak," Harry told Sally.

"Put it on," she instructed. Harry draped the cloak around his shoulders.

"Wow!" she said as Harry took it off again and spread it out on the floor.

"I think there's a pocket somewhere you can go in," he said as he looked. "Here." Sally crawled in.

"Now I can come with you when you, Ron, and Hermione sssneak around the ssschool," Sally's muffled voice came from inside the pocket. "Wait there'sss sssomething in here." She emerged with a glinting object in her mouth. She dropped it in Harry's outstretched hand.

It was a ring. All gold, except for a small heart shaped ruby embedded in it. Harry studied it for a while, then it dawned on him. Feeling like he was grasping straws, he dug a leather bound book out of his trunk. It was the photo album with pictures of his parents. 

He turned to the pictures of their wedding day. One was of his dad slipping a wedding ring on his mum's finger. It had been blown up, so all you could see where their hands. Harry looked at the ring. He was shocked to see his guess had been right, it was all gold with a small red dot. This was his mother's wedding ring.

Harry grasped the ring as though he felt that if he loosened his grip he would lose it. He had never had anything that belonged to his mother. He never had really let himself think about her. 'She died to save your life!' a tiny voice said in his head. 'And you repay her by not thinking about her?'

Harry was overwhelmed guilt and regret all at once. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "Dear God, Harry. What isss it?" Sally spoke up from the bed.

"My mothers wedding ring," he answered, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay.

"Then, Harry, why do you feel ssso guilty?"

"Sally, just leave me alone." Harry retorted, looking away. Cutting a piece of leather of an old book cover, he stringed it on his neck and climbed in to bed.

"Goodnight Harry," Sally's voice sounded from the chair. Harry didn't answer, and it was a long time till sleep finally claimed him.

The next day was very slow. Harry made himself not think about what he had found last night, even though it was still on his neck. Instead he busied himself with homework. When he went down for dinner he was greeted as usual, by being ignored. He filled his plate, but before he started eating he let Sally come down off his neck and try the food. 

"I'm going away tomorrow," he said to none of them in particular. "I'll be back 'round nine."

"And how do you plan on getting where ever you're going? There better not be any freaks coming near this house!" Uncle Vernon roared.

"Careful Vernon, screaming isn't good for your blood sugar." Uncle Vernon looked ready to explode, but Harry pretended not to notice. "If you must know, even though it's really none of your business, I'm flying by broom."

"But people will see you," Dudley said frowning, trying to comprehend a flying broom.

"No they won't. And that's to bad to, I'm pretty good on a broomstick." Harry took his diner up to his room, leaving confused expressions on the Dursleys' faces.

As Harry ate his dinner in his room Hedwig flew in. Harry took the letter of her leg. 

Dear Harry,

Yes! I'll see you soon,

too bad your only staying a day though.

Until tomorrow,

Ron

"We better get some sleep Sal. We need to be up early."

"Why?" she questioned.

"Secret," Harry answered as he set his alarm clock for 4:30 and crawled in to bed.

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(A/N: Hey! If you like it I'll post the next two chapters. I have them all written, It's just a matter of typing them. I leave the 30th for New Orleans, and sadly, I don't own a laptop. If you love my story that much, go buy me one and I'll post much faster. Just a note, my penname, Lily Rose Potter, is NOT Harry's mother. You'll probably figure it out in um… chapter 6 I think… I dunno. Trust me it gets much better, I promise.)


	3. The Visit

Chapter 3

The Visit

Harry woke to his alarm before it was light out, waking Sally and Hedwig. Dressing quickly he grabbed his broom and invisibility cloak, then took both of his 'pets' downstairs. When they got downstairs Sally spoke.

"Judging by the broom in your hand and the cloak we're going flying."

"Not just flying but flying to Ron's house."

"Oh wow! Isss hisss little sssister going to be there?" she inquired. 

"I think so, why?"

"No reassson."

Harry followed Hedwig in the air on his broomstick with the cloak wrapped around him. "Thisss isss ssso amazing!" Sally said poking her head out of the cloak pocket and looking down.

"Be careful, don't fall."

"Yesss Mummy."

"I mean it."

"All right!"

"Hedwig fly above the clouds!" Harry called. 

After hooting a reply she flew up-wards. Once safely in the shelter of fluffy clouds, Harry pulled the cloak down off his head. It was fun watching the sunrise above the clouds. After about an hour and a half, Hedwig flew down through the clouds. Harry pulled the cloak back up and followed. 

Below Harry could see the familiar house, the burrow. Hedwig landed in a tree while Harry flew over to Ron's window and peered inside. Ron was sitting on his bed, talking to someone, Harry craned his neck; it was Hermione. 

Harry started tapping on the glass; Ron came over to investigate the noise. Ron appeared at the window looking confused. Harry realized Ron couldn't see him and pulled the cloak down off his head. 

Seeing his best friend's head appear floating in thin air 13 feet above the ground gave Ron a fright. Recovering quickly, he jerked the window open. "Harry, you could have used the door!"

"Hello to you too. Listen, I don't want anybody to find out about the cloak. Keep it up here." Harry took it off and handed it to him then flew down to the ground. Harry rang the doorbell. "Get in my pocket," he whispered to Sally. Obediently she slipped in to his shirt pocket. Mrs. Weasley through the door open and flung her arms around Harry.

"Harry! Everybody's missed you!" Harry returned the hug, but let go quickly as Sal was in his pocket.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley,"

"Breakfast is in a few minutes, but Ron is upstairs."

"Thanks," Harry called dashing up the steps. When he reached the top floor, he knocked and Ron opened the door.

"Harry!" Hermione cried and through her arms around his neck. 

"Careful Hermione," Harry said pulling away, worried about Sally. "I've only been gone a week and a half." He set his broom against the wall. "Why are you here?"

"It's mum and dads 20th anniversary, they went on a month long cruse. So I asked if I could stay here, and they said yes. I'm going to spend the summer."

"And you're staying in Ron's room?" Harry asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, well, I've been helping him with his homework," she said turning red.

"Yeah," added Ron, who was also very red in the face. "So who was it you wanted us to meet Harry?"

"This is Sally," he said lifting her out of his pocket. "Sal, that's Ron and Hermione."

"A-a snake Harry?" Hermione asked looking at Sally like she was a bit scared of her.

"They don't like me," Sally said sadly. 

"Sure they do. Maybe not now, but they will when they get to know you. They don't really have a choice, do they?"

"I sssuppossse ssso, but I don't want them to touch me until they like me."

"Sal sometimes you act just like a child."

"But MUMMY!" she wined. "I'M THE BABY! You have to love THE BABY!" Harry started laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Ron. 

"Sal just, oh nevermind."

"Harry, what's that?" Hermione indicated the ring around his neck.

"Nothing," he said quickly stuffing it under his shirt.

"Harry, why do you have a ring? Your a guy, remember?" Ron said slowly, at though Harry were stupid.

"It's nothing, okay?" They both just looked at him. Harry sighed, then swallowing the lump forming in his throat, told them as quickly as he could. "It's my mother's wedding ring. Sally found it in the cloak pocket. I put it on a piece of leather and I don't want to talk about it. Your mom is calling us," 

Once they reached the kitchen they found Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny were already seated. "Everyone meet Harry's little friend." Everybody looked up and his or her eyes widened at the sight of Sally. That is everybody but Ginny, a strange look came across her when she and Sal made eye contact.

Sally responded oddly to it. She had wanted nothing to do with Ron or Hermione, but she slid off Harry's neck and on to the table. Sally slid up Ginny's arm on to _her_ neck, and then _surprising_ Harry at the least, licked Ginny's cheek.

Ginny didn't look at all frightened by this strange snake suddenly licking her face, she was more surprised, but still happy. "That's funny, she didn't want anything to do with Ron or Hermione. I guess she likes you." Harry said sitting next to her.

"I-I'm sorry," Ginny stuttered blushing scarlet.

"Sorry, why? I'm glad, she doesn't like Ron and Herm, and that sorta worries me. So it's kinda a relief." 

"S-so what's her name?" Ginny took great care not to look at Harry.

"Sally." Mrs. Weasley was now putting plates of food on the table. 

"Harry," hissed Sally, "tell her she can count on it."

"Count on it? Count on what?" 

"Jussst tell her," Most of the Weasley's were looking at Harry rather oddly. Few of them had ever heard Harry speak parseltounge, those who had only a few words.

"She said to tell you that you can count on it. What does that mean?"

Ginny looked at Sally, who responded by licking her face again. Ginny laughed, which was something she had never done before in front of Harry. Harry noticed she had a nice laugh, and wished she would laugh more often. Sally suddenly turned her attention to Harry, peering at him intently.

Then she made a noise that could only be described as one thing; a snort. This was followed by some small giggles, and then she burst in to hysterical laughter. "What? Sally are you all right?" Harry was worried about his 'pet'. 

"It'sss jussst-" laughter. "She-" laughter, "her-" laughter, "but you-" laughter, "I shouldn't sssay."

Harry looked at Sally oddly, then shrugged it off as something to do with the emotions thing. 


	4. The Chain

Chapter 4

The Chain 

Harry had the best morning he had had since school had let out. As it turned out, Hermione's cat Crookshanks liked snakes, so he and Sally got along.

Ron, Hermione and Harry were walking around the padlock the Weasley's owned. It was a quiet brake from the explosions coming from Fred and George's room.

"So why did you name your snake Sally?"

"I didn't, all snakes have names, that's just what her name translates to in English. You can only name snakes when their babies."

Sally was around Harry's neck, where she had become accustom to staying. Suddenly, she slid off his neck and on to his arm, then on to his leg, and finally she reached the ground. She slid away fast.

"Where are you going?" Harry called, but it had come out in English.

Sal must have guessed what he said though, because she called back to him, "Be right back!"

"You two go ahead," Harry said to Ron and Hermione. "I'll catch up." Harry went in the direction Sally had gone. He looked for her on the ground, wondering why she would run off like that.

"Harry," said a voice from behind him, and it was in English. Harry spun around to see Ginny sitting with her back against a tree that was big enough to hide her from anybody on the other side. She had a book open on her lap and Sally on her knee.

"Sally, don't run off like that without telling me where your going." Harry scolded.

"Yesss, Mummy."

"Hello, Ginny,"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "She just came out of no where."

"Your always sorry," Harry said sitting down across from her. "Not everything is your fault you know." Ginny said nothing, just looked at her hands. Harry started shredding a piece of grass. 

After a few minutes of silence Ginny spoke suddenly, as if she finally decided to say it. "Harry, do you hate me?" she said quickly, blushing at her own daring.

"Hate you?" Harry asked looking up from his piece of grass. "Why would I hate you?" 

"B-because of what I did. A lot of people hate me for it, and you above all have every right to." Ginny sounded close to tears.

"Ginny stop. If I hated you, I never would have brought you back out of that chamber. Plus the fact I don't hate anyone, not even Voldemort," Ginny flinched. "It might sound stupid, but I can't hate. Sally explained why to me, but I don't remember what she said. So no Ginny, I don't hate you. What do you mean a lot of people hate you for it?"

"M-my roommates, all the people who were Petrified, the world it seems like," she whispered.

Harry looked at her for a minute. "Do you have any friends, Ginny?" Harry asked.

Ginny turned red and shook her head 'no.' Harry stood up. "Keep Sal for a bit for me," and he left to find Ron and Hermione.

After lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all in Ron's room. Hermione and Ron were playing chess and Harry was fiddling with his ring, lost in his own thoughts.

Suddenly, there was a small _snap_ and Harry looked down to see that the leather had broken. "Damn," he said under his breath. "Hey Ron, which room is Ginny's?"

"2nd floor on the right. Why?"

"She has Sally," He wasn't really lying, she did have Sally. 

Harry came to the 2nd floor and knocked on Ginny's door.

"Can I have a word?" The door opened and Ginny's face appeared looking surprised and even a bit worried. She nodded silently and let him in. Sally slid over to him and went up his waiting arm. Ginny looked at Harry questioningly. 

"Um, I just wanted to ask you something." Ginny still hadn't spoken, and it was making Harry uncomfortable. "I didn't know who else to ask and it's a bit of an emergency," Ginny nodded again.

"Look could you say something, you're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking down. "Why don't you sit down?" Harry sat on her bed and she sat on the other side, totally avoiding his eyes. 

"Why are you so quiet Ginny? Are you always like that, or is just around me? Two years ago, Ron said you never shut up." Ginny flushed and Sally went over to her.

"I-I guess it's around you. But not just you, I'm shy, I can't help it. I'm not shy around my family, that's why Ron said that. I'm only shy and quiet around people I don't know."

"Well then, let's get to know each other better. What's your favorite color?"

"White," she said quietly.

"That's nice. Mine is green. When's your birthday?"

"June 21,"

"That's coming up isn't it? Well mine is July 31. Now we know each other a little better, so no need to be shy." Ginny smiled slightly.

"What is it you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh yeah," Harry checked his hand, making sure the ring was still safely in it. "I need a chain, just a plain chain. I had a piece of leather but it broke. Do you have one you don't use?" Ginny silently stood and retreated to a corner where there sat a small box. She opened it and pulled out a gold chain.

"You may have this, I don't use it."

"Are you sure?" She nodded, but her eyes were filled with question. Harry sighed. "You want to know why, don't you?"

"No, that's okay. It's none of my bussiness."

"Sure it is, your donating for the cause, you deserve to know what it is." Harry took her hand and pressed the ring in to it. Ginny looked at it closly.

"This is a wedding ring," she said quietly.

"My mother's,"

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry,"

"Ginny," Harry said forcing a weak smile, "stop being sorry for everything that goes wrong in this world. It doesn't help." Ginny didn't respond, she strung the chain on the ring and handed it to him. 

"Bye Harry," Harry took a hint, got Sally and left.

"Harry, dear, will you please come back soon?"

"Well Mrs Weasley, in two fridays, the Dursleys are going to leave me with Mrs. Figg, and I would love to get out of it."

"The 21st? Yes dear that would be fine."

"But wait," Harry said, "I just relised that's Ginny's birthday!"

"That's right it is, well I'm sure she won't mind you here, dear."

"Thank you, where is Ginny anyway?"

"In her room I think. Well we'll see you in a few days."

"Harry," said Mr. Weasley, "how did you get here on broom without the muggles seeing you?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Ron. In truth, the cloak was on Ron's window sill. Harry was going to fly above the house, wait till everybody had gone in, then fly down and get it. "Mr. Weasley, it's a secret from my dad, I really don't want to share it." Mr. Weasley didn't say anything else. 

"Well bye everybody." Harry mounted his broom and flew over the house. Insted of just hovering there, Harry had something he wanted to do. He flew down in front of Ginny's window. The curtains were closed, Harry nocked on the window.

The curtains flew open and Ginny apeared, eyes wide with surprise, shock, and bewildedment. When she saw Harry though, she visable relaxed and opened the window.

"I guess I gave you a bit of a fright there, sorry about that. I just wanted to ask you not to say anything about the ring, I'd like it to be kept a secret okay?"

"Why did you tell me then?"

"Because my friends can know, I just don't want the world in on it. Okay?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Great, I'll see you in two Fridays, bye." He flew off. 

Ginny calmly shut the window and curtains, walked over to her bed, layed down on it, put her face in the pillow, and screamed. Harry Potter had just called her his friend! She couldn't believe it! A few hours ago, she was still fighting with herself wheter or not he hated her.

Sally poked her head out of Harry's pocket. "That wasss fun! When are we doing it again?"

"The 21st, Ginny's birthday."

"I like her,"

"I noticed,"

"Wish I could talk to her without you there though,"

"Well unfortunetly, the only other known Parselmouth in the world is Voldemort. But, maybe,"

"What?"

"Nothing. Just an off the wall theory."

"Ssso what are you getting Ginny for her birthday?"

"I know what I want to get her, but how?"


	5. London

__

(A/N: To whomever asked if the romance came between Harry and Sally, my answer is this: OH DEAR GOD NO! That disturbing and wrong. Read the reviews, some people already figured it out. To GinnyPotter, who suggested renaming the first chapter 'When Harry Met Sally' that wasn't lame, it was hysterical. It hadn't even accord to me! I burst in to uncontrollable laughter and my brother thought I had finally lost it. Now a note to all of you; it DOES get better. When I wrote this part I didn't have a plot. Just please stick it out.)

Chapter 5

London

Harry's how came 5 days later. Dudley had outgrown his school uniform. He was so huge that the school didn't carry his size anymore, so Vernon and Petunia had to take him to London the next day to get it made special. Harry planed on hitching a ride.

"I'm coming with you to London tomorrow," Harry told his Uncle, and not waiting for a reply, left. He didn't think Uncle Vernon would have argued any way. Harry's so called 'family' had been a bit frightened of him since he had yelled at them. Harry supposed that was because last year when he yelled, he had blown up his Aunt Marge.

So the next day Harry was sitting in the back seat of the Dursley's car on his way to London. When they parked Harry turned to the Dursleys.

"Look, I'm heading off to my part of town. I'll get myself home, not that you care. Bye." Harry set off towards the Leaky Cauldron, leaving looks of resentment on his Aunt and Uncle's faces and a look of jealousy on Dudley's.

After telling Sally to hide, Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron, and was greeted by a familiar voice. "Mr. Potter!" Harry looked up to see Tom the bar tender. "What can I get you?"

Harry was uncomfortably aware of the people watching him because Tom had called him 'Potter'. "Well, I need a room for tonight."

"Certainly! Any luggage with you?"

Harry shifted, "No." Tom's eye's showed slight surprise and people in the bar listened intently.

"Your not running away are you Mr. Potter?" Tom had tried to inject some humor in his voice, as though he were joking, but it was obvious he really thought that it might be true.

"Not really, more like escaping for a night. I'm going back tomorrow, today I need to do some shopping. I'll be back, all right?" Tom nodded and he exited out the back door.

Harry pulled out his wand and muttered, "3 up, 2 across." He tapped the brick and the wall opened up to Diagon Alley.

Harry, upon spending quiet some time here last summer, knew this place very well. He headed strait to Nancy's Jewelry. Opening the door, he was greeted by a young witch. 

"Good morning, I am Miss. Nancy. Who might you be, dear?"

"Harry,"

"And how may I help you Mr. Potter?" Harry jerked.

"How did you know my last name?"

"Simple dear, I recognize you from your pictures in the paper. Is there a reason your here?"

"Ah... yes. I need a necklace."

"Any special occasion?"

"13th birthday." 

"Let me go see," she disappeared behind a curtain.

Sally poked her head out of his pocket. "Reminder, I can't breath nor move in here."

"Sal, after this we'll go get you a cage okay? Let me get Gin's gift first."

"What was that dear?" She had returned.

"Nothing,"

"Well there are many more where these came from, so be sure you find the right one." She placed a huge rack in front of Harry.

While Harry looked through them, Miss Nancy talked.

"I bet 'Teen Witch' would love to know who the lucky girl is."

"She's just a friend," Harry said absently. "Plus she reads that I think. I don't think she'd like seeing her own name published in it, I know I wouldn't."

"Then you better not pick up a copy, there's an article about you in there almost every month. Right along with the Unauthorized Harry Potter Fan Club advertisement."

Harry blanched. "What is _wrong _with people?" he muttered to himself. 

After going through many necklaces, Harry finally spotted one he wanted. 

Every part of it stood for something; it was a simple gold chain, similar to the one Ginny had given to him. The charm was a red heart, a bigger version of the one on the ring. The heart was surrounded by a gold snake with red eyes. The whole necklace screamed out Ginny.

"I'll take this one,"

"The Snake's Heart. That one is met as a gift. It glows when the giver is near."

"It's perfect." Harry bought it and left, Sally was starting to squirm in his pocket.

Next it was down the road to Magical Menagerie. When Harry walked in the witch looked up to him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up to Harry's forehead. "May I help you?"

"What do you have for snakes?" The witch set down her heavy spectacles and led him to a corner of the room. There was a cage of snakes and Harry heard them whisper excitedly when he approached. 

"We have a fine selection of magical snakes. Each with it's own unique po-"

"No, I have a snake, I need a cage and supplies and stuff."

"Oh, well, what do you have?"

"Nothing,"

"Why did you go and get a snake and not buy any supplies?"

"I didn't get her, I sorta, well I," Harry gave a frustrated sigh. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out Sally.

"Air!" Sally gasped.

"I found her."

The witch was obviously shocked to see that this boy was carrying a snake he had found in his pocket. She gapped open mouthed as Sally wound around his neck.

"How- how long have you had that snake?"

"About three weeks. Look can I just get a cage?"

"Oh, yes. Well we have numerous cages, some are made to fit a magical snake's power. But as your snake isn't magical-"

Harry interrupted before he could stop himself. "She is, she is magical."

"How would you know that?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I, well I,"

"You _are_ Harry Potter _aren't_ you?" Harry nodded. "There were rumors a few years ago about you being a Parselmouth. It's true isn't it? That's why you have that snake so well trained already. You can talk to it."

Harry cringed, knowing with his luck it would probably be in the paper tomorrow, but nodded. Harry was a horrible liar, so he avoided doing it as much as possible.

"Well then let's get you a cage. I'm sure you spoil the poor creature, so your going to want a good one." The witch seemed to realize Harry was touchy about his fame and acted as though he were just some kid that walked in.

"Of course. And you know she deserves the best of everything." Harry smiled and she returned it. They spent a while picking things out with Sally hissing a comment once and a while. It was only while Harry was buying his things that she addressed who he was again.

"I know this may sound stupid, but as I love animals, I think that your being able to converse with snakes is astounding. I was hoping you would say something to your snake so I could hear it, but as you didn't, I'm asking if you could say a few words in Parseltongue."

"I don't see why not," Harry said in Parseltongue. The witch smiled wide. 

"That's really quite amazing. Thank you."

Harry thanked her for her help, told Sally to get back in his pocket and left the store. He headed back to the Leaky Cauldron laden with his bags. 

"Is my room ready?" Harry asked. Tom nodded and motioned for Harry to follow him. Harry put his things down in his room and then went back down to the bar for a drink. After ordering a Rettub Beer, which cooled you down instead of warming you up, he sat down in a corner booth and pulled Sally out of his pocket. 

"Ssso can I sssee what you got Ginny?" Sal asked.

"Mhmm," Harry pulled the small black box out of his pocket. He opened it and showed the necklace to Sally.

"It'sss perfect!" 

"I know." Harry never noticed the reporter sitting at the table near him. 

Harry's day was hardly over. After exchanging some of his money for Muggle money, Harry left for Muggle London. After putting up with Dudley's lame clothing for almost 14 years, Harry was more then ready to try something more stylish. Sally, it seemed was good at that sort of thing. She helped Harry find jeans and various tee shirts. After that, Harry got some needed new glasses. His prescription was low, and the thick black frames were dorkish. Her found some thin gold frames that almost disappeared on his face they were so unnoticeable. Then came a hair cut. Harry turned down the offer for dreadlocks to manage his unruly hair, that connected him with his father. But he did take the barber's suggestion of getting it bleached. Looking in the mirror, he decided it didn't look too bad and it was a nice change, but he wouldn't do it again. Then, changing in to some of his new clothes in a cafe, Sally looked him over.

"Well, don't you look good, Missster Hottie. But you misssing one thing."

"What?" Harry asked, wonder what else he could possibly change about his appearance.

"Get your ear pierced."

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh no. Sal, I never told anybody this, but I can't stand needles. No, I can't, I won't, no, never."

Sally gave what could only be described as a snake smirk. "Can't ssstand needlesss but doesssn't mind a three foot long sssnake fang? Intresssting. I think sssomebody needsss to face a childhood fear."

"No, Sally, I can't"

But a few minutes later, Harry found himself looking at all the earrings he had to chose from. When the girl at the counter turned her back, Harry pulled Sally out of his pocket. "Sal, choose one."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the one making me do this."

"That one." Sally jabbed her tall at an earring. If Harry would have seen it earlier, it would have been the one he choose. It was a gold snake with red eyes. The back of the earring was designed to look like the back of the snakes mouth, so it would appear to be biting the ear.

Harry squinted his eyes when the gun thing went through, and did his best not to cry out. He managed it well and after a few minutes of pressing his lips together tightly, the pain subsided. 

He went back to the Leaky Cauldron, and when he entered, Tom looked up at him and his eyes widened. "Merlin's beard what happened to you?"

Harry smiled. "I thought I'd look my age this year."

"Yes, but, God, I can hardly recognize you." Neither of them heard the camera click on the other side of the room.

"I find that a good thing. Can you help me? I need to find a way home tomorrow. Is the Knight Bus still up and going?"

"Yes indeed. I can have them come and pick you up at around 10 o'clock tomorrow if you'd like."

"Yes please, that would be great."

Harry slept well that night for the first time in quite some time. No Dursleys going to the bathroom to wake him up. No loud snoring in the other room. The next morning he had his breakfast with some nice witch from France who just couldn't stop talking. Catching a ride on the Knight Bus, they dropped him off at Number 4, Privet Drive. 

Harry rang the doorbell, as the door had yet to be unlocked from that night. Vernon opened it and when he saw Harry, his eyes widened and he was rendered speechless.

"Good afternoon Uncle Vernon," Harry said smiling sweetly. As Harry walked through the living room to get to the stairs, his Aunt and cousin stared. 

"Oh, right. I'm leaving again on the 21st, before you all get up, and you'll probably all be asleep before I come back. Thought you might like to know." And his disappeared up the steps.


	6. The Necklace and The Rock

Chapter 6

The Necklace and The Rock

The rest of the week crawled. Finally, Harry's alarm clock went off at 4:00 AM on the 21st. He put the necklace in the pocket of the invisibility cloak and got ready. Sally slithered in to the cloak pocket and back out again. Harry wore jeans and a black tee shirt with 'Bite Me' written in green. Sally wrapped around his neck really added to the effect. 

Before he knew it they were coming up on Ron's house. Harry put the cloak on top of the roof this time, taking Ginny's present out and putting it in his pocket. He landed in front of the door and pushed the door bell. Once again, Mrs. Weasly threw the door open.

"Harry!" she stopped suddenly dead set and the sight of him. "Oh my, you look so grown up!"

"If you say so," he said shrugging. "That's not really what I was going for, but it'll work."

"Hermione and Ron are waiting for you upstairs."

"Thanks!" Harry took the steps two at a time. He got to Ron's door and knocked. 

"Hi guys," they both stared and neither answered.

Hermoine swallowed. "Harry?"

"No, my name's Bob, pleased to meet you. Do I really look that different?"

"Wow, Harry man, that's cool."

"Your ear!" Hermione squealed.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Sally made me do it, and I made her pick it out. I guess it's okay."

"Breakfast!" came a shout from downstairs.

As they headed for the kitchen, on the 2nd floor Sally slid of Harry neck and down to the floor. Harry watched as she went through the door to Ginny's room. Everybody but Ginny was already at the table when they took the same seats as they had last time. 

"'Lo everybody," Harry greeted them, but they didn't answer him this time, they all stared. 

"Wow Harry," said Fred after some time. "You can hardly tell it's you!"

Harry smiled. "Thanks, that's what I was going for." 

The chair next to him was empty but it had balloons tied to it. At that moment Ginny came down, Sally around her neck. 

"Happy Birthday," Harry said as she sat down. 

Ginny blushed and kept her eyes on her hands. "Thank you," she said quietly. 

"Ginny, look what Harry did while he was gone," Hermoine urged her friend.

Ginny looked up and did her best to conceal her surprise. She bit her lip. "You look good." Sally silently cheered, it had taken guts for her to say that statement.

Harry felt the back of his neck turn red. "Thanks."

"So Harry, what inspired you to put a hole in your ear?"

Ginny's head jerked up again. "May I see?" She was on his right side, so he turned his head to let her see it. 

"Actually Percy, you're asking the wrong guy. I didn't want it, Sal talked me into it. I'm actually afraid of needles."

"Oh so is Ginny! She screamed something awful when we took her to get her shots."

"Ron, you don't need to be telling people that." Mr. Weasley scolded.

Harry shrugged. "Everybody's afraid of something. If you're not afraid of anything, then that makes you something to be feared."

After breakfast Fred, George, Ron, and Harry flew around while Hermoine and Ginny talked on the ground.

They all went back in for lunch and when they were finished Mrs. Weasley brought out a cake and set it in front of Ginny. With her wand she lit 13 candles that blew small blue sparks. Ginny closed her eyes and made her wish, then blew them all out.

"What did you wish for Gin?" asked Hermoine. 

"The same thing I've been wishing for since I was 7," she whispered.

"Let's open your presents Ginny." Mrs. Weasley said.

Ginny got a white dress from Mrs. and Mr. Weasley. Fred and George gave her candy. Ron gave her a poster of a band called Golden Stars, Navy Sky. The gift Hermoine gave her was in an envelope, and she didn't show it to anyone. She merely smiled, pocketed it, and thanked her.

Then Harry handed her the small black box that now had a little white bow on it. She looked up at him, surprised.

"What is it?"

"Open it." She pulled the box open. Then she smiled and Harry didn't know it was possible to turn that red. "Do you like it?"

"Harry, you didn't have to,"

"Yes I did, for more reasons then one. It's supposed to glow when the giver is near."

"Well are you going to show us?" Ron asked. Ginny passed him the box.

Sally said something to Harry, but he was so distracted he didn't catch it. "What?" he asked, but it had come out in English. "What?" he repeated, this time in Parseltongue. Sally said something very fast and they continued talking so quickly the Weasleys didn't think it was possible.

"Harry?" Ron asked. They were all looking at him. Harry held up his hand to silence him. They couldn't hear the conversation going on..

"Harry, I left Ginny'sss presssent in the cloak pocket!"

"What?"

"I left Ginny'sss presssent in the cloak pocket!"

"You got her a present?"

"I made it."

"What is it?"

"A rock, carved into a heart."

"When did you make it?"

"I went out at night okay? Jussst go get it pleassse!"

"But I'll have to tell them about the cloak."

"Jussst fly up and get it, they don't need to know where you went."

"They'll ask."

"Then don't tell them. Harry pleassse!"

"Sally, I don't know..."

"Pleassse, pleassse I worked ssso hard to get it done."

"Alright, fine." He stood, and without a word to the Weasly family who was looking on in wonder he walked out. He flew up to the roof and reached his hand in the pocket. He felt a bundle of paper. 5 seconds later he was back on the ground walking back in. He handed the small package to Sally who took it in her mouth. She slithered over and set in front of Ginny. 

Ginny threw a questioning look at Harry who shrugged. She slowly took the paper off to reveal a heart shaped rock. "Did she make this?" 

"Guess so." Sally started to talk to Harry.

"She says she wanted to put your name on it but she didn't know how to write it, and she didn't want to ask for my help."

"Could you, um, please tell her thank you for me?"

"She'sss welcome." Sally hissed before Harry had a chance.

"Thankfulness is an emotion isn't it?" Sally nodded. "Listen Sal, we need to talk about that later."

"Alright, fine."

"Oh, she says that you are very much welcome."

Ginny flushed again, but looked up at him none the less. "And thank you for the necklace." Her eyes went wide, and she gasped.

__

(A/N- Hey, sorry this took so long! I've been working on a story about Harry's mother, which is currently 16 pages in font size 10. Unfortunately I can't post it because it spoils the plot for this story. I actually finished this chapter a few days ago, but didn't realize it. I just kept on typing, so now half of chapter 7 is done. Chapter 7 is titled 'Tears and Secrets'_. As you may have noticed, the Backstreet Boys were brought up a few chapters ago. This is because one of their songs inspired this whole story, so I feel I owe it to them to include them in this fic. If you are a BSB hater, then tell me about it in the reviews. If I get a lot of people telling me they hate BSB, I'll write two versions of the story. But keep in mind that it will take me even longer to post if I do that. To all who hate Harry's hair, don't worry, it goes back to the way it was. Love you all! _

~Lily Rose)


	7. Tears and Secrets

Chapter 7

Tears and Secrets

Ginny tried to mouth something to him. Harry tried, but he couldn't get it.

"Harry, who's ring is that?" Fred asked.

Harry reached up and grabbed the ring, which had came out from under his shirt while he was flying.

"Nobody's" he said stuffing it under his shirt.

"Well it has to be somebody's," George stated.

"Leave him alone, George," Fred started, "it's probably his girlfriends."

"No it's not!" 

"Well then who's is it?"

"Kids-" Mrs. Weasley started, but Ginny cut in.

"Leave him alone guys." She came to Harry's defense.

"You know?" Instead of blushing Ginny paled and hung her head.

"It looked like a wedding ring." Percy observed.

"Oh! Harry's getting married!" Fred yelled as George was saying "Come on Ginny, spill the beans."

Harry stood and turned around, ready to run up the stairs. Sally, knowing exactly what he felt, slid over to Fred and George, and hissed at them in a threatening way, which caused them to fall silent, and see what Harry was doing.

Harry stopped at the foot of the stairs, but didn't turn around, so they couldn't see the tears on his face. "Ginny, I want you to tell them so you guys don't need to keep secrets for me." Before she could argue he raced up the stairs. But several floors didn't keep him from hearing Ginny go nuts.

"You IDIOTS! Use your PEA BRAINS for one minute and THINK who's wedding ring would mean that much to him! YOU ARE SO THICK! Even Sally knows something's wrong! If you haven't figured it out yet it's his MOTHER'S! He didn't want everybody to know about it! I can't believe you two!"

Ginny was in a rage, something she rarely went into. Both Fred and George lacked color in their faces. She picked up Sally, stomped upstairs, and slammed the door. 

Ron and Hermione went up to Ron's room a few minutes later to find Harry. But when they got there, they found the room empty.

Harry ran up to Ron's room, but he knew the were only a few minutes behind him, and he really didn't want to talk to them. He opened the window, there was a two foot ledge there, he could make it. He climbed out and walked along it until he got to the other side of the house. Then he climbed down to the ledge below it, which he assumed was about two floors down. He sat down, wiping the tears from his face.

'I guess holding it all in isn't the best way to do it.' And he promised himself he would have a good cry when he got home, but until then he better straighten up. He wished Sally was there to help him.

Ginny was fuming on her bed, trying to calm down, when Sally started acting weird. She started hissing, and Ginny thought for a moment she almost understood it. Then Sally went over to her window, and started hitting the glass. She hissed constantly at Ginny, who walked over.

"I guess you want me to open it..." Ginny pushed it open and Sally shot out. "Sal, where are you-" But then Ginny saw exactly where Sally was going. Harry was sitting on the ledge about three yards from her window.

"Ginny," he said, slightly surprised. "Come on out." Sally started hissing at him, but he shook his head 'no'.

Ginny climbed expertly out. "Guess you come out here a lot, huh?" Harry asked.

"Yes," she answered quietly. Well, his presence certainly calmed her down. 

"Thank you," he said looking straight ahead.

"Thank you? But it's my fault! Why are you thanking me! If I had only kept my mouth shut, they wouldn't have known I knew, and you wouldn't have felt guilty about us keeping secrets! I messed up _again_!" She started crying in her knees.

"Ginny! That's not true! Oh, God don't cry. Come on." She looked up at him. He wiped a tear from her face and smiled at her. "There you go again, thinking everything's your fault. It wasn't your fault, it was mine. Thank you."

She sniffed, now embarrassed by her sudden outburst. "For what?"

"For being such a great friend. You haven't done it much, but that was because I was never around you, but you always stick up for me. It's kinda funny. You don't _talk _to me, but you stick up for me." He got a small smile out of her.

"It's really nice to have someone to do that. I mean, Ron and Hermione always stand by me, but they don't really ever stick up for me. Everybody always thinks 'the good, great Harry Potter can take care of himself. But I have flaws, just like everybody else. Nobody understands that."

"I do." Harry raised his eyebrows. "Well, to an extent, A mean, I _try _really hard to put myself in your shoes."

"And what do you come up with?"

"Your life _sucks_." Harry started laughing and Ginny joined him slightly. 

"Well, I don't know if it's all that bad. I mean, I may not have my real parents. But I do have you guys, and Sirius."

"Sirius? _Sirius Black_?"

"What? Oh, aww- man!"

"He's out to kill you!"

"No, no he's not, please don't shout. And God Ginny what I'm about to tell you, if you tell _anyone_, you put somebody's life in danger. Understood?"

She nodded, her eyes wide. Harry sighed. "Sirius Black is my legal godfather and was my father's best friend. When they were in school together, Sirius black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and a man named Peter Pettigrew were best friends. When they found out Remus was a werewolf, the other three became illegal animagies. My father was a stag, Sirius was a dog, and Peter was a rat, but you all knew him better as Scabbers."

Ginny gasped and Harry grimly continued. "My parents knew Voldemort was after them, so they went in to hiding. The spell gave only one person the key to their location. Now my parents were going to use Sirius, but at the last second Sirius had them use Peter as a bluff. Peter was really working for Voldemort, and he betrayed my parents. He set up Sirius, then faked his own death by become his rat form. I met up with both of them last year, but Peter escaped before we could clear Sirius' name. If you want to hear it in more detail, ask later. But trust me when I say that Sirius is not a murderer." 

Harry looked sadly at her, and she slowly nodded. "So, um, subject change." Ginny could tell Harry was too worn out to talk about it. She could ask Hermione later.

"Right. I don't really know you too well do I? I wonder why that could be?"

Ginny laughed, which made Harry smile. "I'll get better, I promise."

"You better. It's hard to be friends with someone who only says one word sentences to you."

"True." Then after two seconds she realized what she had just done and laughed harder. "I never got to thank you for my necklace."

"Hey, does it work? It's supposed to glow when I'm near."

"Yeah, it works, I can feel it."

"Cool." The two talked for some time, Sally joining in on occasions. Talking about anything and everything seemed to put them both in better moods. They didn't even notice how much time had gone by.

"Harry!" came a shout from bellow them.

"What?" Harry shouted back, peeking over the edge.

"There he is!"

"He's up there!"

"Outside Ginny's room!"

Ginny and Harry looked at each other confused. A few seconds later Ron threw open Ginny's window. "Where have you been? You weren't in my room and we figured you went for a walk or something and you'd be back. But then a half an hour later you still weren't there and we started looking for you."

"I was right here." Ron suddenly noticed Ginny.

"What are you doing here?"

"Talking to Harry dimwit, what does it look like? If we had known you were looking for him we would have come inside."

"Well, I think there's something you should both see in here."

They all climbed back in the window to find almost everybody in Ginny's room. Ginny paled, there was a lot of stuff in here she didn't want them to find.

"Okay, everybody out, right now. I don't like this many people in here at a time."

They all filed out and continued down stairs. "I think you two should read this." Ron said handing them a magazine.

"It's my Teen Witch, I've been waiting..." she drifted off when she saw what was on the cover.

Harry groaned. "This can't be good."

_(A/N: I could stop here, but that would be evil.)_

It was Harry's picture on the front, talking to Tom the bar tender. The head line read; 'What has happened to the young Harry Potter we once knew? Does he have a girlfriend? Read and see!'

"Shit," was all Harry could say. Ginny fell down onto the couch and opened to the article. Harry sat next to her to read it over her shoulder.

This reporter saw the one and only Harry Potter in the Leaky Cauldron only a few days ago. He arrived looking as we all know him. After booking a room for one night and saying he had no luggage, the bar tender asked him if he was running away. Harry replied "Not really, more like escaping for a night. I'm going back tomorrow, today I need to do some shopping. I'll be back, all right?" The young boy then left.

He returned some time later and put his things in his room. He sat in a booth near the back and ordered a Rettub beer. Then, I saw it with my very own eyes, he pulled a green and orange snake out of his pocket. I did some research and found that it was a Common American Garter snake. Then, and girls I'm not kidding you, he talked to it. In Snake language, or Parseltongue. 

The rumors last year are quite true, our adorable Harry is a Parselmouth. But all you witches out there, it doesn't end there. He pulled out a necklace. I never got a good look at it, but it was clearly a gift for a young girl.

Harry then left for Muggle London, so of course I stuck around to wait for him to come back. Boy was I in for a surprise! I hardly knew it was him.

But as he told the bar tender, he found it a good thing that it was hard to recognize him. I took a chance and snapped a picture. As you can see below, his hair is bleached, his ear is pierced, he got new glasses, and new clothing. Is this to impress the receiver of the necklace? Who is this lucky girl? Is this a good change? Tell us in the poll below!

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"I don't blame you." Ginny shut the magazine. "Not only is it one sided, disturbing, and just plain weird, but this story is poorly written."

"At least she didn't follow me into the stores."

"Hey Harry, you could always send them a hate letter." Fred said brightly.

"Maybe if I ever get around to it. Well, I think I'm going to go home, it's been a long day."

"Harry, dear, please stay for dinner at least."

"No thank you Mrs. Weasley, I'll grab something at the Dursleys before bed. I'll come back soon, I promise."

Harry left shortly after that, but he didn't go stright home. Harry flew over to the ledge he and Ginny had sat on. To his surprise, Ginny was already there.

"I guess you do come out here a lot," he said landing beside her.

"Harry!" she looked up at him surprised. "I thought you left!"

"Well I did, sorta. Everybody else thinks I'm gone." Sally slithered down his leg to her.

"Why are you here?"

"There's something I need to show you. Since Ron and Hermione already know about this, it's only fare you should too. Can you ride?"

"Depends if you'll have me home before midnight," she said with a smile. Harry laughed and helped her climb onto the broom behind him.

"Hold on, were going straight up."

"Hold on to what?" she asked worriedly.

"Me," and he took off. Ginny quickly grabbed him around the waist, and, by some miracle in her mind, she managed to stay on. They landed on the roof.

Harry walked over to something sitting a few feet away. As he picked it up, Ginny realized it was made of cloth. He put it around himself, and disappeared.

Ginny gasped. "Harry? Where are you?"

"Right here," the empty air answered. He took off the cloak and reappeared to human eyes again. He handed it to her.

"The ring is the only object I have of my mothers, and this is all I have of my father. Sally found the ring in the pocket of this. It's an invisibility cloak."

"Oh, wow. This answers a lot of my questions," she said looking at it. 

"What questions?" 

"Questions about how you three manage to pull off some of the things you do. I may not talk a lot Harry, but I am very observant. I watch, and I listen, and frankly, some of the stuff you pull off seemed impossible until now." She wrapped the cloak around herself and smiled at her missing feet.

"Sal, we should go," he hissed.

"I want to ssstay with Ginny, can't I ssstay and you can get me next time you visssit? She's sssuch a fun perssson to ssstudy."

"Study?"

"Well yesss. I need to ssstudy you people to find out how thingsss work. Like shaking your head meansss 'no'. You never told me that'sss what it meant, how do you think I figured it out?"

"I never thought about that. You won't be able to talk to her you know."

"Yeah, I know, but after ssstaying with you for ssso long, you got boring."

"Oh thanks Sal."

"You're very welcome."

"Well let me ask her."

Ginny was still looking at the cloak when Harry spoke to her again. "Ginny, Sally wants to stay with you until I come back again, is that okay?"

"Really? She does? Yes that's okay!" Sally moved up around her neck.

"Then I need to go. I'll take you back to your room."

When Ginny walked downstairs for dinner, everybody was shocked to see she had Sally.

"Ginny, dear," started Mrs. Weasley. "Why do you have Harry's snake?"

"Well, Sally wanted to stay with me. Harry said it was because she wants to study human behavior, and she already knows him inside and out. He said he'd be back in a few weeks to pick her up."

"But, the snake was on his wrist when he left."

"What, oh. Yeah he came to my window." 

Ron stared at her, Fred and George didn't seem to care, Hermione smiled and seemed very happy, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed more worried about keeping a snake in their house for two weeks.


	8. Summer's End

__

(A/N: His hair is back! YAY! Sorry guys, didn't realize you would hate it so much, so I listened to you. OMG, SHE LISTENS TO US! Somebody asked me to continue with the H/G fluff. Now don't get me wrong, I love fluff. I'm probobly a fluff fan, but this story really does have a plot! Really! Anybody who cares what's going on in my real life, IM me at KKismagic or E-mail at KKismagic@aol.com, because I love talking to you guys! I never put a disclaimer in here, because I figure since the site is called 'fanfiction.net' we should all assume that I am a 'fan' writing 'fiction'. There is something I need to do, and I beg you all to read this. {And to all my other friends, your moment will come, but this is Ally's})

This story is dedicated to my best friend Ally. 

Dearest Ally,

I have owed my life to you numerous times. I know I would have never been able to get through the last 5 years without you. Also I owe this story to you because without your encouragement I would have never posted it. You are the best listener I have ever known and you are always there. Ally, you will never know what you mean to me, and I promise that my first real book will have your name on that dedication page. You are a huge part of my life and I could never imagine it without you. 

Thank you Ally, with all my heart.

Your best friend.

Chapter 8

Summer's End

But it was actually three weeks before Harry made it back. That was because the day he had planed on going, the Dursleys were going to London again, and he wasn't going to miss it. 

The more and more Harry looked in the mirror; the less and less he liked his hair. He dyed it pitch black again, and got it cut. Though you couldn't tell it had been cut, you also couldn't tell he had ever changed the color. He spent another night at the Leaky Cauldron, but he was very careful there were no reporters this time. 

After one last trip to pick up Sally, Harry slowed down his trips to visit to Weasleys, it was just a little too much for him to handle. So instead he would write letters.

Dear Ron,

We should arrange a day to go get our stuff together. I don't think I'm going to be making very many more trips, it's just hard to wake up and leave, and if I don't get up early, I'm going to be seen. We really don't need another flying car incident. Anyway, you said that I would get to meet your two older brothers if I stopped by during the summer, but I never did. Hey, we have a spot open on the Quiditch team, going to try? Is Hermione still staying in your room? Now don't you do anything you wouldn't do if I were there. (You should see the smile on my face right now.) Actually I bet by now you two are fighting, and it's probably over something stupid, and your not taking to each other. And your probably putting Ginny in the middle. No wonder the poor girl has problems. Kiss and make up. (Oh I would love to see that.) I just heard from that dog again. He's doing just fine. Keep in touch; letters are so much easier then flying two hours there and back. 

Talk to you soon,

Harry

Dear Hermione,

How's vacation coming? I'm sure all your homework is done and re-done, but how's Ron coming? Are you still in his room? Maybe you should move to Ginny's, you two worry me alone up there together. (Like I told Ron, you should see the smile on my face.) But, I'm still betting you're fighting over something stupid by now and not talking to each other. Am I right? Next time I'm around, I want to talk to you about Ginny. She said she doesn't have any friends, and I think that's just her imagination. You're her friend, that I know. She's just really shy I guess. Sally seems to love her, but she doesn't like you and Ron very much. I think it's because Sally can sense your fear, and you both are a little bit frightened of her. But don't worry as you get to know her I'm sure it'll get better. Oh, I need to know, what is the main ingredient in the Seal Potion? I just can't seem to find it! Oh, and I heard from that dog again. Good old Sparky is doing just fine. 

Love,

Harry

To the Weasley family,

Thank you so much for having me over, it was a lot of fun. I don't think I'll be coming as often though, at the risk of being seen. I hope you are all having a good summer. We should all meet up to buy our new schoolbooks when we get our lists. Mr. Weasley I have a new gadget I know you're going to like, it's called a CD player. Dudley has a dozen of them, he won't notice one missing, but I'll give it to you when I see you all. Thank you again for having me come visit, it's really a nice change to have the people in the house actually talk to you. Though now I'll keep in touch with letters. 

With love,

Harry

Dear Ginny,

Sally is going just nuts knowing she won't get to see you as often. She speaks very highly of you. She wants me to tell you she saw what was under your bed, but she promises not to tell me anything about it. Truly, I'm not going to ask. Hope your summer is coming along well, and if you have any questions about that person we talked about a while ago, just ask Hermione and use the name Sparky. I just wasn't in the mood to go into the details. Ron and Hermione are fighting by now aren't they? Don't let them put you in the middle of it like they always do to me when they aren't speaking to each other. "Harry tell Ron…" "Harry tell Hermione…" But it will only be a matter of time before they admit they're in love with each other. I plan to record that, blackmail for all eternity. Sally says she also saw what was under your pillow. Please excuse me while I scold her for being nosy and tell her to shut up while I'm writing. (Three minutes later.) Sorry about that. Hey, what was in that envelope Hermione gave you for your birthday? Write me back, and NO ONE-WORD SENTENCES. Just kidding, your name is of course a one-word sentence.

Love,

Harry

All nine of the Weasleys and Hermione were sitting at the breakfast table. Ron and Hermione were sitting next to each other, but they didn't look very happy about it.

"Ginny, please tell Hermione to pass the syrup."

"Ginny, please tell Ron he can reach the syrup from where he is."

"Ginny, tell her I don't want to reach over there because that means I would have to get closer to her."

"Remind Ron that he is a brainless idiot."

"Tell Hermione she's never had her head out of a book long enough to know what I am."

Ginny flat out ignored them. They could play their little game if they wanted to,

but she wasn't going to participate. Just when she thought they might start screaming, a white owl flew in through the window.

"Hedwig," Ron forgot their little fight for a moment. The owl hooted softly and landed beside Hermione. She untied four letters off of Hedwig's leg.

"One's mine. This is Ron's," she handed it to Ginny, who rolled her eyes and threw it at Ron. "This one is addressed to all the Weasleys," she handed it to Mrs. Weasley. "And this one is Ginny's. Mrs. Weasley why don't you go first."

"Thank you dear." She opened the letter and read it out loud. "Oh, but he must come back for his birthday! I'm sure those Muggles never do anything nice for him."

"I'll tell him mum, really."

"Ginny, you go," Hermione said smiling.

"Okay," she carefully opened the letter and started to read it. "Dear Ginny, Sally is going just nuts knowing she won't get to see you as often. She speaks very highly of you. She wants me to tell you she saw what..." Ginny paled, then flushed. "Um, this really isn't a read out loud letter."

"Oh come on Ginny," Ron said impatiently, "what could he possibly tell you that you can't say out loud?"

Ginny finished skimming the letter. "How about this Ron, 'Ron and Hermione are fighting by now aren't they? Don't let them put you in the middle of it like they always do to me when they aren't speaking to each other. "Harry tell Ron…" "Harry tell Hermione…" But it will only be a matter of time before they admit they're in love with each other. I plan to record that, blackmail for all eternity.' Do you really wish me to continue?"

A very red Ron shook his head 'no'. "He really knows you both too well. Oh Hermione, I want to talk to you about Sparky later."

Hermione looked up. "You know about Sparky? How do you know about that?"

Ginny shrugged. "He told me. I know about everything. Anyway, read your letters."

They both stared at her for moment longer before the started on their own letters.

As they read, they both turned red at some point and then they looked up at each other.

"Harry's right, this is stupid. I'm really sorry."

"No, it's my fault, I was being a pain in the ass."

"Kiss and make up!" Ginny exclaimed smiling widely

They both glared at her. "That's what Harry said and it's not funny."

"If it was funny Ron, I would be laughing." Ginny said all-to-seriously.

"Ginny," Hermione started, desperate for a subject change, "when you said he told you everything."

"I meant everything. Come on," she grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her upstairs to her room.

"Tell me exactly what you know," Hermione said sitting on the bed.

"Let's see, I know about Sirius, the cloak, the broom stick, Scabbers, everything, but he really wasn't in the mood to talk about it in detail, so he said to ask you."

"Well, that sound like a girls night up." Hermione said smiling.

"Tonight then?"

"Yep."

The next morning, Hedwig was waiting in Ginny's room. Ginny smiled at the owl and re-read the letter she wrote one last time. She was proud of it. It wasn't evident that Hermione and her had planned out each word carefully. Then in Hermione's letter she repeated a few things that were in Ginny's letter, to make it even more discrete. The letter had actually been really hard to write. It took a lot out of her to crack open her shell enough to let Harry see the real her. The print was small and neat, the words she would never be able to say out loud. 'But maybe,' she thought, 'with Hermione and Harry's help that could change.'

Two days later, Hedwig flew in though Harry's window with numerous letters attached to her legs.

Smiling, he untied them.

__

Dear Harry,

Mum says you have to come over for your birthday. You just missed Bill and Charlie, they're here right now. But they showed up an hour after you left last time. Charlie really wanted to meet you too. Well, maybe they'll be here when you come back. Nah, I don't think I really want to play Quiditch. I like the game, but I'm not very good at it. Speaking of, the cup is in Canada this year, and we can't get over there to see it. Really sorry, I was real bummed. Now you'll never get to see one, because in four years, you'll be playing in it. So what's this with Ginny knowing all your secrets all the sudden? Are you sure that's wise? She and Hermione and planning a 'Girls night up' to talk tonight. Maybe I'll spy on them. We were fighting, but we made up when we read your letters, and there was NO KISSING! You and Ginny think alike. Really, we're just friends. I never make fun of you and Hermione and you two are friends. Do we really put you in the middle when we fight? Sorry 'bout that. We'll try not to. Do we really fight that much? I don't understand how you can say we fight all the time and then say we're in love with each other. Anyway, I'll see you July 31 then.

Your Friend,

Ron

Dear Harry,

The main ingredient is Eye of Newt, but I don't know why you couldn't find it. It's right there, actually no, it's right here! You wrote something on that page and passed it to me in class. Harry, sometimes you are just like Ron. Ginny, well we're about to have what we call 'Girls Night Up.' Ron doesn't think we know he's going to try to spy on us. He is an idiot. You want to talk about her? She is really shy, but I'm sure if we tried we could help her get over it. I don't know but I think we're going to be doing a lot of talking about you tonight. You told her everything? I guess you trust her as much as I do. Well, I am a little frightened of Sally, but it's nothing personal, she's a snake. I never liked them, but I'm sure I can learn. About Ron's homework, well we were actually in a fight about it, but we made up. He's not done. Yes, Harry, I'm still in his room, and there is NO REASON for you to worry about us! We are both mature, well, maybe he's not as mature as we would like him to be, but that's a whole other story. Sorry to hear your not visiting as often, but your reasoning is good I'll talk to you soon.

Love,

Hermione 

Dear Harry,

There will be NO one-word sentences in this letter! I have always liked writing better then talking. Here you can always chose your words carefully and you don't need to be afraid of saying the wrong thing. You tell Sally that if she breaths a word I will cut her into a million pieces, paste her together, and do it again. But I trust her! You know Ron and Hermione way too well. They were fighting, but then they read your letters and made up. It was so cute! Ron called himself a Pain-in-the-ass! I don't think Herm realizes how much that means. Ron NEVER insults himself, and he never admits he's wrong. Now I know Hermione doesn't like to be wrong, but she will admit it when she is. I'll record it with you, two copies equals twice the fun. Do you know any recording spells? Anyway, Hermione and I are planning to talk tonight about everything, and we know Ron's going to spy on us. But, what he doesn't know is after we bust him, we're going to talk about him. Or rather, I'm going to MAKE Hermione talk about him. I promise to keep you informed. I can't tell you what's in the envelope, Sal could since it was under my pillow, but she won't, I hope. Thanks again for my necklace. It's not glowing anymore. And I'm sorry about that magazine article, and before you yell at me I know it's not my fault. You really are helping me, and I do know you are trying to. And, well, thanks. I'm signing my name with my first and last name so it is not a one word sentence. Oh, but then I can't close with 'Love', I don't know what to close with! I got it! You should have seen Ron's face when he found out I knew about Sparky. I'm running out of things to say. Thanks for the letter, it really brightened my day. (I had been putting up with "Ginny tell Ron" "Ginny tell Hermione" all morning) We all miss you. Tell Sal I love her.

With all my love, (HA)

Ginny Weasley 

Dear Ron,

Sure, I'll come for my birthday. I mean, anything is better then staying here. I'll see your brothers next time I'm over there. Sorry 'bout the cup, and only in my dreams. You don't want to play? Oh well, I don't know who's going to replace Wood. Hey! You could write up plays for us, I know you love to do that. I can trust Ginny, Hermione already does, don't you? And I already know the girls busted you, they had planned it. There was no kissing? Oh man! Ginny promises to record you two with a spell I'm going to teach her. We're so evil. The reason you never make fun of me and Hermione is because there is a difference between me and Hermione relationship and you and her relationship. We're not secretly in love with each other. I hear you called your self a pain in the ass and admitted you were wrong. Well I'm impressed! She must be really important to you! See you later!

Your best friend,

Harry

(P. S. Please don't kill me. You two are really just too predictable to pass up.)

Dear Hermione,

Thanks. I knew there had to be a reason I couldn't find it. So what did you two talk about anyway? Sparky, me, and Ron? You got to tell me cause I didn't get a chance to spy on you! It's not fair! Ron's going to shoot me, because I keep teasing him. You know what I miss? Nobody but you would have ever understood that phrase. But, you and Ron will still worry me. And I'm going to have Ginny check in on you! So behaive. Of course you'll learn to like Sally, you can learn anything. I'm running out of things to say and I still have Ginny's letter to write. See you soon.

Love,

Harry

Dear Ginny,

Sally's in the attic. What she possibly finds interesting up there I have absolutely no idea. All that's up there is Dudley's old stuff. (I should know, I hauled most of it up there this weekend.) Heavy lifting, heavy lifting. I'm surprised I can still move my quill. A good recording spell is the "Veedeeoo" spell. That's were the word video comes from in the Muggle world. Something about a squib, ask Hermione. Hermione and Ron are predictable, that's all. Thanks for keeping me up to date, it's hard to keep up from over here. Hey, since their in the same room, maybe you should do some surprise check ins with a camera handy. Black mail is a treasured item. You're welcome, it shouldn't glow unless I'm around. Me try to help you? Whatever for? Really, it's no problem. Always there for a friend in need. I think I'm going to break the rule and use one-word sentences. I don't like signing things with my full name. I'd rather use just 'Harry.' I just wrote to Sparky telling him about you. Hedwig's on that delivery now, and then I need to let her rest for a few days. So that's why these are late. Do you want to know what to do when they start that not talking to each other thing? Like this: "Ginny tell Ron he's an ass" "Ron, Hermione loves you." They both go nuts. It puts them both on the same side. Just forget about the article. I just try to ignore it, there's nothing else to do. Ask your mum if we can go book shopping when I come over on July 31st. I can't get back to London. The Dursleys now sneak away so I don't come with them. (I went back to dye my hair black again. I missed it too much.) I miss all of you too. Sal says she loves you too. Talk to you soon.

Love,

Harry

Even though Harry had planned to stop by once and a while, he didn't make it back until his birthday. Sally had already given him his present; a small rock box to hold his earring. Harry didn't need Hedwig to show him the way, he knew it now.

They had all sent him letters to make sure he was coming, and Harry had never answered them. Truthfully, he couldn't and they still didn't know that. 

As he landed by the door around noon, he didn't even get a chance to ring the bell. Ron, Hermione and Ginny threw the door open, and pulled him in.

"Harry we weren't sure if you would come! You didn't answer our letters." Hermione started.

"Well you see-"

"Mum, he made it!" Ron called.

"Oh good! I was so hoping he would,"

"We are going to Diagon Ally." Hermione informed him, dragging him to the living room.

"Hope you brought your list." 

"Well I-"

"If you didn't we both have the same stuff."

"Guys!" Ginny shouted, causing Hermione and Ron to fall silent. "Let him talk!"

Harry smiled. Hermione had apparently worked wonders while he was gone. Ginny even _looked_ more outgoing. She returned his smile as Sally went up to her neck.

"Hi Harry."

"Hey Gin. I missed you three!"

"We missed you too Harry." Hermione said finally calming down. She went to hug him but he pulled away, his hand flying up to his shoulder.

"Sorry, can't."

"Why, what happened?" Ron asked concerned.

"I'll explain, after we get out of the hallway."

"Come meet my brothers Harry."

Ginny led the way to living room, the other three following behind. In the many mismatched chairs, there sat Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Percy, and two people Harry had never seen before. 

"Harry, this is Bill, and this is Charlie."

Both of them had red hair to match the other Weasleys. Though, it seemed as they got older, their's had become a little darker. 

Bill looked like an older version of Fred and George, with glasses. He stood up and offered Harry his hand. 

Harry shook with his left hand. "Sorry, my right is out of order."

"No need to apologize. I stuck around to meet you, but I must leave now."

"Bill's _girlfriend_ is waiting."

"Shut _up_ Ron. Mother! I'm leaving!"

"Wait one moment dear!" came Mrs. Weasleys voice from the kitchen. She soon came hurrying out with a bag in her hand. 

"Take this, and have a safe trip Bill, honey."

"Thanks mum." He took the bag from her and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "Bye everybody." He left.

"Lunch will be a few more minutes." Mrs. Weasley disappeared again. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione fell on to the couch, while Ginny went and sat in Bill's now empty seat.

"Nice to meet you Harry. I would stand and shake your hand, but as you can't use your hand, I see no reason for me to get up." He gave Harry a smile.

"Fine with me." Harry said, returning the smile. Charlie looked more like Ron or Mr. Weasley, and he was very fit. 

"So I hear your pretty good at Quidditch."

"Some people say so."

"Oh stop being modest Harry."

"He could beat you Charlie."

Harry shook his head. "I doubt it, with my right arm gone, I'd have to catch with my left."

"What happened to your arm anyway?"

"Well, it seems Dudley had a box of rocks that he just_ had_ to keep. So I had to take it up to the attic. It wasn't that big of a deal, until Dudley decided to play games. He shut the door to the stairs, just as I got there. I set the box down and opened it again. But as I was picking it back up, he shut it. Then I tried again. So, I had to pick the box up and hold it in one hand and open the door in the other. I messed up my shoulder. I didn't do anything really bad to it, but then I made the mistake of not moving it for a few days, and it got all stiff. Now, I'm exploring the wonders of hot water every night."

"Hey," Charlie started, "little Gin is famous for her back rubs. She gets it from all that sewing she does."

Ginny didn't even wait for a response. She stood and walked behind him. "Tell me if I hurt you."

Harry didn't answer, he clenched his teeth in pain, but did not cry out. "Well, you were right about the stiff part."

__

(A/N: I'm really only writing this because I just messed up my shoulder. I had my dad rub it for me and it hurt so much I was bawling. It's still spazzing out. So writing this is painful! I expect a lot of thank-yous! {Just kiddin})

She pulled his shirt so that his right shoulder was exposed. "I could use some pain killer," she said sympathetically. Harry shook his head no. "Herm go get me a glass of ice water."

Ginny worked at his shoulder until Mrs. Weasley called for lunch. Then she handed him the glass of water. "Drink this, it flushes all the chemicals I knocked out. I'll do it again later."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem. Always here for a friend in need," she quoted him. "Wait here." She disappeared down the hall, and returned a few moments later with a steaming bag. "Aroma-therapy. With some work, we should have you all fixed up before you go home." _(A/N: That's what I just got, but shit it's hot!)_

Harry walked in the kitchen, to discover his chair decorated with balloons.

"Happy birthday!" He smiled.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"Sure we did."

They sat down and enjoyed a meal of all of Harry's favorites. After that, Mrs. Weasley brought out a cake with 14 candles lit.

"Make your wish.'

"I wish that this year is less eventful then the last!" Ron, Hermione, and Ginny laughed. Harry blew out the candles, and as soon as he got them all out, they all lit up again. Puzzled, Harry tried again. The same thing happened.

"Boy's," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Yes mum?" Fred and George said together.

"Did you use cursed candles?"

"We didn't think Harry would mind!" They said this together too, causing everybody to laugh.

"Oh well, I guess it would get boring anyway. I wonder what it's like to have a normal life."

They cut the cake, and then Mr. Weasley brought out a box. "Happy birthday Harry."

"Oh man, you really didn't have to get me anything."

"Well, we all got together and it's not much, but we hope you'll like it."

"Hey, the Dursleys gave me an apple peal this morning. Just being here is better then that."

"Harry," Ginny smiled. "Shut up and open it!"

"Yes ma'am." He pulled the paper off to discover a wizard radio.

"We knew you didn't have one, and over the summer it will keep you up to date with our world."

"Thank you so much. This means a lot to me."

Not too much longer after that, all of them were in Diagon Ally. Mrs. Weasley was allowing the four of them to go out on their own. After stopping at Gringotts, they set out. 

First was the book store, of which they had to drag Hermione out of. Then they stopped for robes. Ginny was fine, but the other three were in need of new. Then they bought parchment and ink. When they stopped for potion supplies, Harry bought some that weren't on the list, just in case. Then they had some extra time to have some fun.

"Lets go to Quality Ouidditch Supplies!" Ginny said dragging them over.

"You like Ouidditch?"

"No, I just want to watch all the cute guys who do like it," she said sarcastically "Yes I like it! Always have."

They reached the window, in which was displayed three brooms. One, Harry recognized as his own.

"Man, I would kill for a Lightning," Ginny breathed.

"New brooms?" Harry asked. 

"Not really. The Firebolt is still the fastest. It's a Seeker or Chaser broom. But there are two others in the series. The Thunderbolt is a Beater broom. It's built to hold still when you hit. And the Lightningbolt is a Keeper broom. It's faster then the Firebolt, but only for short spurts of speed, and it stops faster."

"Hey Gin, when did you become so interested in Ouidditch?" Ron asked.

"Forever, I just refuse to play with you guys, because you all knocked me of my first broom at three."

"Now Ron that wasn't very nice!" Hermione scolded.

Ginny and Harry let them pull ahead, continuing their fight on what Ron had done many years ago. "You've changed a lot over the summer." 

"Not really. I told you I'm not shy around people I know. And Hermione told me so much I feel like I've known you for a few years now." She smiled. "She tells me the most _intresting_ things."

"Wel- huh? Like what?" Ginny broke in to laughter and ran to catch up with the other two, Harry running after her.

All too soon for Harry's taste, he flew in through his open window. His many bags had weight-less charms, courtesy of Mr. Weasley. His birthday was over, and as he set up his radio, he decided it was the best he ever had.

Not too long after that, it was time to pack up his stuff. Sally was a challenge. He couldn't leave her, but he wasn't really sure if he was aloud to take her. He decided he would keep her a secret, then if he was caught he could play ignorant. 

The whole summer the Dursleys had tried to make Harry do as much work as possible. This was mostly heavy lifting. But as he picked up his trunk easily, and carried down stairs without a problem, he didn't mind it so much. 

Vernon didn't say a word as he drove Harry to the station. And as soon as Harry got his things out, the man sped away. Harry sighed, carrying his trunk and Hedwig in her cage. Sally was hidden around his waist under his shirt. He walked through the platform, to find the ussual crowd. Picking his way through carefully, he climbed onto an empty compartment. Leaving his stuff, he went back out to the crowd. 

It was only a few minutes before the Weasleys and Hermione showed up. They all went in to Harry's compartment, and entertained themselves with childish Muggle games that Harry and Hermione explained for the rest of the ride.

__

(A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long! School is pounding the hell out of me! It's like they want to make you suffer as much as they possibly can before you get out for the year. Plus the fact that I broke up with a really good friend of mine and have been losing sleep ever since. Ahh the glory of sleeping pills! Anyway, this is a rather long one huh? To my penpal Jude, or Snow*Flake, I just want to bring you up. Since you are the only person from England I know, if you find anything wrong with this since it takes place over there and I know diddly squat about it, then E-mail me with it. All of you are welcome to E-mail me at KKismagic@aol.com, because I love to talk to you. I think I said that at the top though. Half of this story belongs to my friend Ally, and half of it belongs to the little green diskets with orange eyes that live in my desk. So I guess this story doesn't belong to me at all! Love you all, pease out.)


	9. Pile of Papers

Chapter 9

A Pile of Papers

__

(A/N: To whom ever asked, OF COURSE I'VE HEARD OF THE FORTH BOOK! I READ IT IN ONE DAY! Sorry bout that. It's just, some people. I simply didn't like the forth book very much.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

I don't know if I said this before. I am not going by the forth book, but I am going by the two books that JK has ghost written. Quidditch Through the Ages mostly. To the story.)

When the train slowed down the group of friends stepped off. The first thing they heard was Hagrid's shouting. They all waved to him before climbing in a carriage. 

When they arrived in front of the school, Dumbledore was standing in front of the doors. They gathered around him to see what was the matter.

"I need to see Mr. Potter."

Harry walked forward, not too surprised. Things like this always happened to him. Dumbledore turned and Harry followed him. Harry soon recognized it as the way to Dumbledore's office.

"I'm very sorry about this Mr. Potter. I didn't want you to miss the sorting, but I am also missing it this year for the first time."

"It's no problem Professor, and if it makes you feel any better, I haven't seen the sorting since my first year."

Dumbledore chuckled slightly as he gave the password to reveal the moving stair case. Inside the office stood a man Harry didn't know.

"So there he is! See now that wasn't so hard now was it, Albus?"

Dumbledore's lips thinned. "Yes. Harry I would like you to meet Arron Slive, Captain of the Appleby Arrows."

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Potter!" He said shaking Harry's hand energetically.

"Um, you too." Harry was confused. Sally was under his shirt and she must have sensed it as she squirmed slightly.

"Please have a seat Mr. Potter."

Harry sat down in the chair that he always used. You could almost call it his seat.

"Mr. Pot-"

"Harry, please Professor, if you don't mind."

"No, not at all. Harry, do you know how old you have to be to play on a national Quidditch team?" 

Had Dumbledore brought him up here to discuss Quidditch? "No Professor."

"You have to be 15. Do you know how old you have to be to join a national Quidditch team?"

"15?"

"No Harry, 14. And I do believe that you just had a birthday."

Harry didn't quite understand. "But Professor why would you want to join a team before you can play on it?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer but Arron beat him to it. "I'll answer that for you Harry. See, that gives the new player a year to practice with his new team. It's not as important with a Seeker or a Keeper, but with a Chaser it would be very important."

"So Harry, the teams always ask me to send in recommendations for new players. I don't do it very often, but I sent one for you, and you got many replies. If you agree, these teams," he set down a pile of papers, "are willing to come watch you at your next game." 

"But then why are you here Mr. Slive?"

"Well Harry, the Appleby Arrows are willing to let you sign now, before the game."

Harry's eyebrows lowered. "Why?"

"We feel there's no need to see you play-"

"How do you know if I'm good enough?"

"Well, you see, um, Professor Dumbledore so rarely sends in recommendations that we just-"

"Do you even know what position I play Mr. Slive?"

"Chaser isn't it? I remember that's what your father played."

"No, I'm a Seeker. And I would rather wait until after the game before I sign anything."

"I see..." Mr. Slive suddenly looked very uncomfortable. After a moment of silence he got a hint, and left.

"You handled that very well Harry."

"Professor I don't want that to happen. They didn't want me on the team, only my name."

"I understand Harry. Here, these letters include information on the teams. The newest version of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ is already three years out of date. If more then one team still considers you after the first game, then you will have to chose the team you wish to play on. I will handle the contracts for you. You won't need to worry about that."

It hadn't even crossed Harry's mind. This was the real world. They were already dragging him in to it. "Professor, I'm not so sure."

"It's a lot to take in one night Harry, but having them watch you play won't hurt you. If you should change your mind, at least you had the choice."

Dumledore had a way with words that always seemed to hit home. Harry was still trying to take it in.

"This may be a lot on you Harry, but I should advise you to keep it to yourself for a while. Sometimes our friends will unconsciously effect our choices for the wrong reasons."

Harry looked down at the letters, and Chudley Cannons was on top. "Yes Professor I understand."

"Good, is there anything else you would like to tell me about before we go down to the feast?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in a way that made Harry sure that he knew anything Harry would have to tell.

"Are snakes allowed in school?"

He smiled. "You just couldn't leave her at home could you?"

Harry smiled also. "No, I couldn't. They wouldn't take good care of her."

"As long as you don't use her as a weapon or such, I see no reason for you to have to send her home."

"Thank you Professor."

"Now we should go down to the feast."

When they walked in, all eyes turned upward and Harry hurried to his seat that his friends had saved. 

"Harry, what was that all about?"

Harry didn't answer, and they didn't ask again. A while later, he broke the silence.

"Dumbledore says I can keep Sally."

"You asked him?"

"Well, he seemed to already know about her. He wanted to know if there was anything else I wanted to ask him, and I asked if snakes were allowed."

"Well then, I guess you don't need to keep her a secret, as long as you don't cause a panic."

"Yeah," Harry's mind wandered to the pile of papers that were in his cloak. Needless to say he didn't eat very much that night. After what seemed like forever, Dumbledore stood.

"I'm very sorry about my missing of the sorting, but there was a matter that needed my immediate attention. I am to announce that both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin houses will need to elect new Quidditch team captains. All those who wish to participate in the vote should meet here on Friday. Anybody who wishes to try out for the teams should meet on the field on Saturday. I have a new Professor to introduce. Professor Deleve came here for another reason, but has agreed to remain and teach the Defense position. Please stand."

Harry looked at the staff table, it was a girl. She was young, not a day over 30. Harry thought she look vaguely familiar, but couldn't place it.

They made their way up to the common room. All the first years who had ate too much went up too bed, but Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry sat around the fire. The others talked, but Harry spent most of his time silent. Sally had made her way out and sat on his lap, gaining him a lot of 'Is that real?', 'Where did you get it?', and other such things, all of which he ignored.

"Harry, is something the matter?"

"No."

"Yesss there isss," hissed Sally.

"Yes, Sal," Harry hissed back, gaining him stares from all around the room, "but I need to keep it to myself. They can't know, especially not Ron."

"Well, who am I going to tell?"

"I dunno, sometimes I think you and Ginny are very close to understanding each other perfectly."

"Well, I have a bit of help. She'sss really worried and ssscared right now, I can feel it all the way over here."

"She has no reason too be."

"They probably think it hasss sssomething to do with Voldemort. But I've been around enough to underssstand the word 'Quidditch' when I hear it. You know, all three of them are worried, maybe you should sssay sssomething to calm them down a little."

Harry looked up, and his friends were still looking at him, worry all over their faces. "Guys, it had _nothing_ to do with Voldemort, so stop worrying. I just need to keep it to myself." Ron and Hermione relaxed, but Ginny didn't.

"Well it didn't help Gin."

"Like I couldn't tell Sal. The whole room is staring at us. They've never seen me say more then three words in Parseltounge."

"You tell me asss though I care. What'sss it to you if they ssstare? I only showsss they need sssomething to do."

"Well, want to help me go over these letters?"

"Sssure, asssk the only one in the room who _can't_ read." Harry laughed, Sally had a way with making him feel better. He started to read the papers in Parseltounge to her.

There are thirteen teams in the British and Irish League. Each year they compete for the League Cup. The year being right, the winner of the League cup will go on to compete for the European Nationals Cup, played every three years, and the World Cup, played every four years. Every twelve years when the two cups fall on the same year, the European Nationals are played later in the year when the World Cup is over. Over the past three years the League cup has been won by the Falcons once, then the Catapults twice. The Catapults went on to win the European Nationals one year and get in the playoffs of the World Cup the next year.

Chudley Cannons

Robes: Bright Orange emblazoned with a speeding cannon ball, and a double "C" in black.

Captain: Ray Snile

Line Up: Seeker- Lin Barstel

Keeper- Terry Smith

Chaser- Jack Yinn

Chaser- Kyle Trance

Chaser- Cara Miles 

Beater- Barney Trup

Beater- Linda Swean

Description: The Cannons have now what they call a 'dry spell'. They have won the League Cup twenty one times, but the last time they did so was in 1892. The team members and many of the fans believe that all it will take is a little push to put them on a winning streak again. Most others feel that it would take more of a punch.

Motto: "Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best." (Changed in 1972 from "We shall conquer")

Falmouth Falcons

Robes: Dark Gray and White with a falcon-head emblem across the chest.

Captain: None, (the Falcons claim that they hate being controlled.)

Line Up:

Seeker- Lee Marshel

Keeper- Mark Vaise

Chaser- Sid Atle

Chaser- Nick Jert

Chaser- Jude Save

Beater- Tom Crase

Beater- Sam Elle

Description: The Falmouth Falcons have been known for hard play ever since their famous Beaters Kevin and Karl Broadmoor. The team has always tried to hire Beaters and other players that don't mind breaking a few limbs. They have won the British and Irish League Cup fifteen times, and the European Nationals once, when Kevin and Karl were still around. Their rivals are almost everyone, though the Caerphilly Catapults have a grudge against them for an incident that happened last year. The Falcons like to use the method of distracting the players with insulting comments. This is an old tradition, and were the name Falmouth came from.

Motto: "Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads.

Montrose Magpies

Robes: Black and white with one magpie on the chest and another on the back.

Captain: Kyle Smith

Line Up:

Seeker- Kevin Prilt

Keeper- Ben Black (Known as BB among fans. Many don't understand the meaning of it, but Ben was Muggle born and says he played with his BB gun as a child.)

Chaser- Ryan McCarty

Chaser- John Nile

Chaser- Brian Parker

Beater- Ross Tomson

Beater- Pat Myer

Description: Though still the most successful team in history of the British and Irish League, they have recently hit a 'dry spell'. They have won the League Cup thirty two times and the European Nationals twice. The 'dry spell' started when their Chaser Molly True left. They claim she was the best player they ever had. She left to raise her children, and then left the country due to all the people protesting in front of her home that she rejoin the team. All Magpie fans pray that the 'dry spell' will not last as long as the Cannons' has.

Motto: The Magpies adopted Eunice Murray's petition of "A faster Snitch because this is just too easy!" as their motto.

Caerphilly Catapults

Robes: Horizontally stripes of light green and scarlet. (Changed from vertically striped when Tiffany Casit joined last year and claimed they made her look fat.)

Captain: None, (the Catapults say that with team work they can help each other without a coach.)

Line Up: Seeker- Sue Litrel

Keeper- Chuck Fring

Chaser- Brad Bowl

Chaser- Chad Bowl

Chaser- Lad Bowl

Beater- Tiffany Casit

Beater- Tony Suring

Description: Quickly becoming the best team in the British and Irish League. They were the winners of the League Cup and European Cup last year. The made if to the playoffs for the World cup but were beaten by the Fitchburg Finches who's seeker Maximus Brankovitch caught the snitch within the first few minutes. Sue Litrel, the Seeker, actually plays the position of Chaser. She was changed to allow the triplets to work together. She has only caught the snitch six times in the past three years. The team has won by getting so far ahead that the other team catches the snitch even though it won't help them. These matches though often last a few days, in which the teams only have four hours to eat and sleep before they start again. The Chasers are triplets, giving them the advantage of anticipating each other's moves. Their rivals are the Falmouth Falcons, which began when Sam Elle called Tiffany fat in the middle of their game. She then in a bludger at him, sending him to the hospital for a week.

Motto: "You may say it, but can you play it?"

Tutshil Tornadoes

Robes: Sky-blue with a dark blue double "T" on the chest and back.

Captain: Carl Hennik

Line Up: Seeker- Willy Swarts

Keeper- Zac Pryce

Chaser- Trevor Collins

Chaser- Ashley Grass

Chaser- Matt Plut

Beater- Anthony Gougus

Beater- Bethy Indigo

Description: The Tutshil Tornadoes hold the record of winning the League Cup five times in a row. One of their retired players still holds the record for the fastest Snitch capture in 1921 of three and a half seconds against the Catapults. Ever since this capture the Tornadoes have tended to look for very fast seekers. Their favorite technique is a quick capture before the other team has a chance to score any points. The Tornadoes came in second for the League Cup, the beaters of the Catapults keeping Willy away from the snitch. 

Motto: Quick witch for a quick snitch, quick pin for a quick win.

Kenmare Kestrels

Robes: Emerald green robes with two yellow Ks back to back on the chest.

Captain: Jack Hyrps

Line Up: Seeker- Meredith O'Hare

Keeper- Erin Lynn

Chaser- Patrick McGrivin

Chaser- Harold Synee

Chaser- Lady Preeth

Beater- Mark Nolith

Beater- Taylor Rekle

Description: This Irish team has become more of a European team as they no longer limit to Irish players. Meredith O'Hare's father Darren O'Hare has been known to attend the Kestrels' practices and give them tips. The Kestrels have been known to use the Chaser Hawkshead Attacking Formation, of which Darren O'Hare is credited with the invention of, quite often.

Puddlemere United

Robes: Navy Blue with two crossed golden bulrushes.

Captain: Barron Victory

Line Up: Seeker- Daisy Jertish

Keeper- Hale Reden

Chaser- Sophia Minvil

Chaser- Radley Winson

Chaser- Samantha Chelves

Beater- Victor Bruze

Beater- Mildred Nolves

Description: Being the oldest team in the league seems to gain them much respect, respect which may be undeserved. Puddlemere has won the League Cup twenty two times, and the European National Cup twice. All those who know them though say that the team is very easy going and loves to fool around. On the field there is no sign of this but it is easy to see during the victory parties.

Wigtown Wanderers

Robes: Blood Red with a silver neat cleaver on the chest.

Captain: Oliver Tynce

Line Up: Seeker- Halee Nixed

Keeper- Stewart Astwim

Chaser- Lauren Rumvix

Chaser- August Qupen

Chaser- Lucy Bezy

Beater- Luke Bezy

Beater- Major Parkin

Description: The Wanderers have won the League Cup nine times. Fans of the team have been known to dress in imitation of Walter Parkin in attempt to bring their old good luck back. Major Parkin is a descendent of the original seven siblings of the butcher.

Motto: We'll slice you to pieces.

Wimbourne Wasps

Robes: Horizontally striped robes of yellow and black with a wasp on the chest.

Captain: Greg Livin

Line Up: Seeker- Lisbeth Smith

Keeper- Brenden Philips

Chaser- Roy Crilt

Chaser- Vicki Zinith

Chaser- Pansy Finim

Beater- Thore Srim

Beater- Leo Breve

Description: The Wasps have won the League Cup eighteen times and have been in the playoffs for the European Cup twice. The Wasps have always looked for fast Chasers. Wasp Fans known as "Stingers" will buzz loudly to distract the other team while they are taking a penalty shot. 

Motto: Buzzzzzzzzzzzz

Harry finished with a sigh. "Ssso you mean there'sss no Sssally Sssnake team? Then why on earth do you enjoy thisss sssport! Ssstart your own team!"

"Sal, not now."

"Sssorry Harry. I'm really the lassst one you should be talking to. I don't underssstand any of it."

"I can't talk to anyone else about it. If Ron finds out he'll want me to join the Cannons, and I can't do that. This is my entire future."

"Well, Ginny can keep a sssecret. She won't tell you what to do and she won't tell Ron. Plusss then she would ssstop being ssso worried. You know, that'sss an ugly thing to know sssomeone feelsss."

"Alright, you take her to a room and then come get me. Okay?"

"Ssso Ron doesssn't asssk quessstions?"

"Exactly."

Sally went up Ginny's leg and looked her in the eye. "She wants you to follow." Harry put in.

"Alright Sal, were we going?" Sally just started away, and Ginny followed her out of the portrait hole. 

Fifteen minutes later, Harry rose and started to walk out. "Hey Harry, where are you going?"

"For a walk," he responded shortly, and he left quickly.

As though he had timed it, Sally was coming up the hall. "Where did you leave her?"

"A bathroom that she sssaid nobody usssesss."

"Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom."

Harry hurried down to the place he hadn't visited for two years now. He found the room and went in quickly. Ginny was sitting on the floor, talking with Myrtle.

"Harry, why are we here? I was sure Sally was trying to tell me to stay."

"I asked her to take you somewhere, because I needed to talk to you, and Ron can't know about it."

"Secrets! Nobody ever included Myrtle in secrets."

"Hello Myrtle."

"You don't come in here like you used to. Nobody comes to talk."

"Well this is a girl's bathroom, I'm not aloud in here."

"What can't Ron know Harry?"

Harry sat down and started telling her what had happened, and why he needed to keep it a secret. Ginny sat there with her mouth open.

"Holy Crap, I don't believe this."

"Me neither, it hasn't sunk in."

"This could determine your whole life!"

"Shhh! It's 9 o'clock, we're supposed to be back by now."

"Footssstepsss Harry!" Sally warned, and she went out the door to see who it was.

"Shit. Myrtle, cover for us and start crying. Please, do me a favor."

"Favor! Nobody ever does Myrtle favors!" She burst in to tears, making a lot of noise.

"It'sss a tall guy with really oily hair." Sally said quickly.

"It's Snape. My luck." He turned to the sink, and hissed "open". The sink disappeared. Ginny jumped in first, and Harry followed quickly with Sally on his neck.


	10. Chamber Again

Chapter 10

The Chamber Again

It was just as he remembered it. Cold and full of slime. He landed on the bottom and pulled out his wand and tried a new spell that gave him fire on the end of it.

"Ginny?"

"In the corner," Sally said.

Ginny sat in the corner hugging her knees. "She'sss frightened, but not really."

"Gin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," but she couldn't look him in the eye.

He sat down next to her. Sally didn't seem to know what to do. "Sal," he hissed, "I don't want to scare her more, but I don't know how to get out of here, go try to figure it out, okay?"

"Gottcha."

"What's wrong Ginny?"

"It's just, this place. It brings back a lot of unhappy memories."

"Sure, but you know, this whole school brings back a bunch of unhappy memories, and I'd still rather be here then at home."

Ginny smiled slightly. "We should go look around, see what's changed."

"Yeah, but we don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I do."

They set off and reached the rock pile from last time. At some point it had re-collapsed, making it easy to climb over. On the other side was the snake skin, still there. Ginny started to breathe rather hard.

"You know, this place needs a little house keeping. I wish your mom were here."

Ginny laughed rather forced and pulled out her wand. "I know a spell mom uses a lot. It does pretty much everything. Trishlip!" The snake skin disappeared, and some of the grime around that area went away.

"Well, that'll work for that sort of thing, but we need to get down here and use some Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover."

"Yeah," she started onward.

They moved through the tunnel, using the fire on Harry's wand as light. Harry had to quicken his pace to match Ginny's. "Why do you want to get down there so bad?"

This question caused her to slow down slightly, and she took her time answering. "I guess in a way, it's just closure. This place is in my nightmares, and it's haunted me. I just need to prove to myself that I can over come it."

Harry didn't respond to this, and they kept going though the twisting tunnel. When they reached the end, the serpents on the wall gave Ginny a fright, which caused her to fall backwards into Harry. Harry caught her and she didn't move for a moment. Then she stood and turned. She started to run, but Harry caught her again. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"I can't do it Harry, I just can't."

"Yes you can. I'm right here."

"No I can't. They look so alive, so real."

"They needed to be, so Tom could open it. Before I had practice, I couldn't speak Parseltounge unless I was face to face with a real snake."

"I can't do it. Tom. The Basilisk. The diary."

"Tom is as good as dead. The Basilisk is dead. The diary has been destroyed. Nothing can happen. You can do this."

"Okay, your right, I can." She turned and walked foreword very slowly, her hands trembling. Harry grabbed her one hand to stop the tremble, and she didn't let go. He didn't mind.

When they reached the wall, Harry hissed "open" again. The smell that reached them was horrid. The chamber was already dimly lit, so there was no reason for his wand fire. Seeing the stone pillars, Ginny's hand squeezed harder. Harry squeezed back reassuringly. They moved foreword slowly, approaching the large mound. 

When the rotting body of the Basilisk came in to view, Ginny fell on her knees on the floor. She cried, and Harry did his best to comfort her.

"Oh, Harry. Were you scared?"

"Yes and no. I was scared that I was to late to save you. I was scared that Riddle would keep me from getting to you. He tried to keep me talking, so he could keep sucking your life away. But I never had time to be scared of the Basilisk. And I was too angry at Riddle to be afraid of him. The scariest part, I guess, was when I shook you and you wouldn't wake up."

"I didn't know about that.'

"Of course you didn't silly, you wouldn't wake up."

She didn't smile this time. He sighed. "I don't know what to do with this thing. I mean, it just doesn't seem right to get rid of it. But it stinks."

"We can get rid of it later, but you know, it's not everyday you have a chance to harvest basilisk venom, or blood, or crushed bone. I bet all it's parts can be used in different potions."

"I never thought about that."

"Filled with all it's horrors, we should go see Snape. He could help us."

"That's scarier then the Basilisk."

Ginny laughed slightly, then stopped, going quite. "Harry, tell me what happened that night, completely. Don't hold anything out. I need to know, so I can put it behind me."

"Alright..." They both sat down and he told her the whole story, how they found out what it was, where it was, and how to get there. How Lockhart hit himself with the spell, the rocks that separated him and Ron. Then everything that Riddle had told him, and fighting the Basilisk. 

Ginny's face didn't change for the whole time. Then when he finished the story, she didn't move. That was about when Sally showed up.

"Harry, I- Dear God what'sss wrong with Ginny?"

Ginny just sat there. Harry didn't know that anything was wrong. "She looks fine to me."

"Her emotionsss! Fear, regret, pain, hate, and an overwhelming sssence of guilt!"

"Guilt? Ginny, are you okay?"

She stared at him. "It was all my fault," she said simply, as though it were obvious. "I did it all, it was all my fault." 

"No, Ginny! No! It wasn't your fault, you didn't do anything!"

"It was all my fault. All of it."

"No, it was Voldemort's fault Ginny. All of it was his fault. You didn't do anything." He pulled her into a hug and her tears started on his shoulder.

"It's my fault, it is, if it hadn't been for me-"

"Then Voldemort would have found somebody else who wasn't as strong, and would have been dead by the time I got here."

She was silent for a moment.

"You see Ginny? It's not your fault. If it hadn't been you, it would have been another. We're all lucky it was you, so we could stop it."

She just cried now. Sobbing and letting all of it out. Sally lingered beside her. As Ginny was slowly getting over it, Sally spoke.

"Come on girl, you know I hate to sssee you upssset."

"Sorry Sal-" Ginny stopped and stared at her in shock.

"Did you just understand her?" Harry asked, just as shocked.

"I- I think s-so."

"Ginny! Can you understand me? Please say yes."

"Yes! What happened?"

"I never thought it would work. I put it right out of my mind." Harry said shaking his head.

"What? What worked?"

"Let me try parseltounge, can you understand me?" She nodded. "Well, what I thought a long time ago was that since you were a Parseltongue in your first year, then maybe you might be able to understand Sally. But then I realized you had already heard me speak it and hadn't understood it, so it wouldn't work. I don't understand why it works now."

"I do," Sally put in.

"Sal, your voice is just like I imagined it."

"All thisss time Ginny hasss been blocking out thisss whole experience. That'sss why, when she was dissstracted, I ssseemed to be able to get to her. Like when I wanted out on the windowsssill. Now that she has confronted the experience, she's not unconsssciousssly blocking out the little bit of Voldemort left in her."

"You mean there's some of him _left in me_!"

"It's nothing to be afraid of Ginny, there's some of him left in me too."

"So, I could have done this before?"

"No, not quite. You were blocking it unconsssciousssly, ssso it would have taken Harry telling you the whole ssstory to bring it out."

"You can't speak it, can you?" Harry was slightly jealous that she could understand Sally too.

"No."

"Now Harry, you know you can't keep me to yourself forever."

"What?" Ginny asked. Harry looked from Sally to Ginny. He couldn't keep it a secret from her anymore.

"Gin, there's something I've been keeping from all of you. Every magical snake has an ability, and well, Sally's is reading emotions. Sometimes even ones you don't realize your feeling. It makes her an expert on the human mind."

Ginny shut her eyes. "This is so much to take in on one day."

"Welcome to my world." Harry said sighing.

"I am suddenly very tired."

"It is 12:30."

"I'm really sorry we didn't get to your problem."

"It's alright, I have until the first Quidditch game."

As they looked at the Basilisk, a silence fell between them. They stared at it for a few moments when Ginny turned and started to walk away. Harry turned and followed. They reached the pipe and Harry turned to Sally.

"Did you figure out how to get out of here?"

"It's really quite simple. Just yell at it. Say something nasty and it turns into a stair case."

Shrugging Harry did just that and a stair way formed in front of them. They quickly walked up and back into the bathroom. Myrtle wasn't around and they peeked around the corners as they made their way back to the common room. 

Ron and Hermione still sat at the fire. "Where have you two been?" Ron questioned the moment they came in.

"Snape was around, we ended up going back down in the Chamber to get away."

"The Chamber of Secrets? You went back there!"

Harry and Ginny fell in to chairs. "I understand Parseltongue." Ginny said. The other two turned to her. 

"You what?!"

"I do, I understand it. We went down in to the chamber, I faced my fears, and now I'm not- What was it?"

"Unconsciously blocking out the little bit of Voldemort in you."

"Don't say the name!"

"Shut up Ron, you'll wake people up." Ginny said with a yawn.

Harry switched to Parseltongue and looked at Ginny. "Please don't tell them about the emotions." She nodded.

"Can you speak it, Ginny?"

"No, just understand it. Look, I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed." Ginny rose and left. Harry also went up to his dorm. Hermione and Ron followed the suit.

When Ron walked in, Harry was laying down. "Harry, just what were you and my sister doing out there at all?"

"Talking," Harry replied, already half asleep.

"About?" But Harry was asleep.


	11. Snape's Secret

Chapter 11

Snape's Secret

Ginny slept better that night then she had in a while. Pulling herself out of bed, she started to get ready for class. She had a habit of waking up before all the other girls in her dorm and leaving just as they were waking up. This prevented her from having to talk to them, something she never did if she could help it.

Walking down stairs, she headed for the portrait hole, and stopped. It was always habit for her to leave, and finish breakfast before people got there. This was going to be a very different year. She walked back up the girl's stair case and knocked on the forth year door.

Lavender opened the door, and looked at her. Ginny could tell she was half way putting on her makeup. She could see Parvati behind her doing the same. Hermione was laying on her bed reading a book.

"What do you want?"

Hermione looked up from her book, and saved Ginny from answering. "Hey Ginny, I'm coming." Hermione jumped up, and followed Ginny out the door. They walked down the stairs together.

"It's nice to have somebody who's up as early as me," Hermione said smiling.

"I kinda had a feeling you'd be ready."

"It's the boys who always sleep late."

"I know, I have six brothers."

While the girls started their breakfast the boys walked in sleepy eyed, and yawning.

"Good morning."

"Mornin'" Ron said sleepily.

"What have we got today?"

"We have Defense first, then Charms, and then Potions after lunch."

"I have Muggle Studies, Defense, and then Trans."

"Oh, I miss Muggle Studies."

"We know Hermione," Ron said rolling his eyes.

When Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Professor Deleve was painting her nails. The three sat in the middle of the room and watched. Sally came up on Harry's wrist, making the Lavender and Parvati squeal, and move to the other side of the room. 

When everyone was seated Professor Deleve stood and gave her hands a shake. She looked at the class.

"The first thing I must tell you is never, ever, call me Professor Deleve. I have always despised my last name. I put up with being known by it as a child, but I refuse to stand it as an adult. You will all call me Professor Heather, or just Heather in private if I like you.

"Second, I think I'll call role." She picked up a piece of parchment, and looked at it. She turned is sideways, then upside-down, then sideways again. "I can't read this," she said tilting her head, "they're all last names!" She crumpled the parchment, and threw it over her shoulder where it landed in the trash can.

"Now for all of you who are worried, I am twenty-nine, and perfectly capable of teaching this class. Oh, I smudged it!" she said looking at her right index finger. She picked up her wand and tapped it. "All better. As I was saying, I can teach, on the first class, I chose not to. I didn't come here to teach. I was asked to stay. I agreed because it gives me another year to make Professor McGonagall crazy. I will go around, and you will tell me your first name, and something about yourself. Today, I'm only getting to know you all. Chances are I'll forget all of you before next class."

She started to go around the room. After a while she reached Hermione.

"My name is Hermione, and I like to read."

Ron snorted. "Like? How about, love, or adore?" 

Heather turned to Ron. "And your name is?"

"Ron."

"And I trust you know Hermione very well?"

"Yeah," Ron replied, clearly wondering where this was going.

"Hermione, what does Ron like to do?"

"He loves Chess."

"This is true Ron?"

"Yeah."

"Well now I know two things about both of you," Heather said with a smirk.

"What?"

"Well, Ron loves Hermione and chess, and Hermione love Ron and Reading!"

"What?!?"

"No!"

Heather only laughed, and patted them both on the head. She moved on to Harry, who was still chuckling at the site of their faces. Harry opened his mouth to say his name, but he didn't get a chance.

"Harry! Oh, my I didn't realize you were in this class. Oh, love, you're a sight. I feel like I'm seeing James again." Harry looked up at her, surprised. "Ah, but those are Lily's eyes."

"You knew my parents?"

"Oh, Harry. Lily and I were best friends. She was three years older then me, but it never mattered. The summer you were born, I practically lived in your house. I would have been your godmother had I been old enough. I only left your side to go back to school. But I saw you as much as possible. Padfoot used to sneak me out of school on his bike."

Harry suddenly realized why she looked so familiar. She was in a lot of the pictures in his album. 

Heather's voice became suddenly hushed. "You are the reason I came here, Harry. You were my only reason for living after I lost all of them. It was only Moony and I left. Moony could tell you anything you wanted about Prongs, but Dumbledore reminded me that he didn't know Flower very well. I came very close to losing it when they sent you to Flower's sister. I know your Aunt, and I'm sure life has been hell for you."

Harry was stunned, but lapped up all the information hungrily. "My mother's nickname was Flower?" 

"Oh yes. Though James called her Tiger, as in a Tiger Lily. She called him Lion, I never knew why. But none of us ever dared to use those names. They were pet names. When Prongs started teaching-"

"My father taught?"

"Only one year, he taught this class, because Flower wasn't out of school yet. They were a year apart."

Harry closed his eyes. "Wait, this doesn't make sense. If mum was three years older then you, and you're twenty-nine, then she was," Harry did some quick math. "She wasn't eighteen, was she?" That's what it added up to, but it didn't make sense.

"Yes, she was eighteen when you were born."

"But then, she was nineteen-" Harry stopped, unable to finish, or not trusting himself to.

Heather hung her head. "And nineteen when she died." Harry was beyond words. "We'll talk later Harry, I promise."

Harry only nodded in response. Sally hissed softly to him, and he responded just as softly in Parseltongue. As Heather went on, Harry spoke only to Sally in Parseltongue, though he was very aware of all the eyes flickering over to him. 

When Heather was done with the names, she returned to the front of the room, and sat on the desk. "So, Severus is a teacher here? I suppose he is just awful?"

The class groaned in response. Heather smiled. "I can give you a lot of dirt on him. There was the time they turned his hair blue. And pink. There was when they turned his voice all squeaky."

Lavender raised her hand, and Heather waved it off. "Just call out, I don't care."

"Who's they?"

"Why the Marauders. Don't tell me the legend has died." Most the class stared blankly, while Harry, Hermione, and Ron grinned.

"Ah, I can tell that three of us here are more informed. Harry, love, would you like to enlighten us?"

"The schools biggest trouble makers. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. The Marauders, Remus Lupin, Peter Petigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter."

"Sirius Black!" cried Lavender.

"Yes Lavender, you all may fear him now, but he was once a child just like your selves. James Potter's best friend, Lily Evans, later Lily Potter's closest thing to an older brother. Later, he became Harry's Godfather. Padfoot was once a very close friend of mine, and he was a laugh. Boy he and James could cause trouble. And when Padfoot got that motorcycle, there was just no stopping them. Severus is very lucky he left school before Sirius could drive."

"Professor Heather, why did Snape leave school?" asked Harry.

Heather looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure, he only told Flower that his parents had other plans for him. I suppose he was home schooled after that."

"Why was he talking to my mother?"

Heather looked at him. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Moony probably wouldn't bring it up." She smiled. "I shouldn't say, Severus would never be able to live it down."

"Tell us, please!" cried Ron.

"Severus Snape was head over heels for Lily Evans."

"WHAT!" shouted Harry, causing the class to look at him. Heather laughed.

"Yes Harry. The pranks were not the only reason he hated your father. Lily was the only person to ever show Severus friendship. He was never more then a friend to her, but he loved her. She was the only one to ever care about him. Plus, she was drop dead gorgeous. I was always slightly jealous of those eyes. She could have chosen any guy in school. James was the same way. Of course so were Sirius and Remus. When James and Lily hooked up, Severus was murderous."

Harry hit his head on the desk. "Snape loved my mother. Ew, somebody please kill me now."

Heather laughed. "This is going to be an interesting year."

Harry shook his head. "You have no idea." The bell rang, and Harry stayed behind for a while.

"Professor Heather."

"Harry, love, call me Heather. I'm not a real Professor."

"Well, I'm going to see Hagrid at break tomorrow, I was wondering if you wanted to come."

"I'd love too." She smiled. "Now run along, the third years are arriving."

Harry waved to Ginny on his way out, and ran to prevent for being late for charms.

It was hard for Harry to concentrate on the charm they were learning. 

He pointed his wand at Ron. "Kerid! What color is this?" Harry held up a blue square.

"Blue!"

"Mr. Potter has gotten his truth charm to work."

By the end of the class, both Harry and Hermione had gotten their truth charm to work, and Ron had people sputtering when they tried to lie. Professor Flitwick told them before class let out that they were forbidden to use the charm by Wizard law unless it is an emergency.

Ginny was waiting for them in the hall. 

"I like the new Defense teacher. She told me I reminded her of her best friend when she was at school.

Ron and Hermione looked to Harry. "You can tell her, it's Ginny!"

Hermione quickly filled Ginny in on what had happened in their D.A.D.A class.

Ginny looked to Harry surprised. "So, she meant I reminded her of your mum?"

Harry smiled. "You _do_ look like her. And from what I heard she has that same sweetness about her." Ginny blushed but Ron kept going.

"That's not all, Heather knew Snape, and he used to be in love with Harry's mum."

Ginny didn't look too surprised. "That sorta makes sense."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, the way he acts. He's, always has a sort of, soft spot I guess, for me. As soft as Snape can get. He's never yelled at me. He'll put down all the Gryffindors, but never me. If I remind Heather of Lily, I may remind Snape of her too. It must be the red hair."

It slightly surprised Harry that Ginny even _knew_ his mother had red hair. "Huh, I didn't know that. Speaking of Potions, Ginny are you going to meet me after you go to Trans.? I don't want to be in the same room as him alone. He may take my head off."

"Yeah, I'll come Harry. He won't hurt me."

"Man, it's not fair she gets a free ride with Snape!"

They laughed at Ron, and Sally spoke up. "I would rather go to Transfiguration, then Potions."

"Then go with Ginny. Snape would pick on you anyway."

When they arrived at potions, Snape seemed to be in a bad mood. Harry was willing to bet it was Heather's return that put him in that mood. They all sat silent, waiting for him to begin. Snape's eyes fell on Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting together.

"Well if it isn't the return of the Dream Team." The Slytherins, whom the Gryffindors still had potions with, snickered. "Rumor has it that you've added a new member," he said with a sneer. They only sat silent, and stared back at him. He turned away after a moment.

"We will be making a color changing potion-"

The door opened, and who ever it was had not bothered to knock. Snape looked up hatefully at Heather.

"Good day Severus, I didn't realize you had a class."

He sneered. "Maybe you should have knocked."

Heather shrugged. "If you say so. I'm looking for something, and as soon as I remember what it was, I'll ask you for it."

"Well be sure not to strain yourself," he said sneering again. 

"Oh well, I'll be back if I figure it out, or go for it and it isn't there." She flashed him a smile, turned, winked at Harry, and left.

Snape glared at the door for a moment longer. "We what are you waiting for! Get started!"

They all scrambled to collect their ingredients and open their books. Snape sat down at his desk, and looked at something in his hand for some time.

Malfoy had chosen the cauldron across from Harry, Ron, and Hermione's. 

"How was your summer Potter?"

"Quite pleasant, thank you." Harry said with a smile, not even look up from the ingredients he was working on.

"What's this with you getting a snake? Wish you were a Slytherin?"

"No. If I had been a Slytherin I would have left school in shame."

"Who's ring is that, Potter?"

Harry didn't stuff the ring under his robes. He wasn't going to give Malfoy that satisfaction. Hermione and Ron looked up at him concerned. "It's none of your business." Harry told him in a way that got the classes attention, though he spoke no louder then normal.

"Oh but it is. Your girlfriend's maybe, that little Weasley brat?"

At this Hermione had to stop Ron from running at him. Harry looked up at Malfoy, and glared. "Wrong, guess again."

"I don't play guessing games, Potter." Malfoy took his wand out, and pointed it at Harry. "Kerid!" But Harry's Quidditch training paid off as he dodged the spell easily.

Unfortunately, Ron was standing behind him.

"All right then, if Potter wants to be difficult. Weasley, what's with Potter's ring?"

"The ring is Lily Potter's wedding ring," Ron replied though it was obvious he was trying not to answer.

Snape looked up and stood. "Twenty points from Slytherin for performing the truth spell on another student!" He walked forward, and picked up the ring from Harry's shirt. He studied it for a moment before Harry pulled it away from him by the chain. Snape turned, his face was hidden from the class. "I don't ever want to see that again, Mr. Malfoy," he said in a deadly whisper.

The rest of the class went past with little disturbance. When the bell rang, Harry let everybody run ahead of him. Just as the last few people were leaving Ginny walked in. Harry shooed Hermione and Ron ahead of them. 

Harry and Ginny approached the desk. Snape looked up at Harry, his eyes hateful. "What do you want?" Then his eyes hit Ginny, and the hate ebbed away. Then as he looked at the two of them together, the hate was replace by something neither of them recognized as pain.

"Professor, we know that Basilisk parts are very useful in potions, but the shortage of them made people come up with substitutes. Although, there are still some potions that have not been able to be changed." Ginny spoke, which Harry was grateful for as he had very little luck with speaking to Snape.

Snape didn't respond, but simply starred at them. "Well, there's a rotting Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and it needs to get out of there. Rather then waist it, we thought we would talk to you."

"I'll talk to Dumbledore about it." He said shortly, and they left quickly.


	12. Basilisk Quest

Chapter 12

Basilisk Quest

The next day, Harry's first class was Transfiguration. He walked in, slightly behind Ron and Hermione, with Sally around his neck.

"Potter, what is that on your neck?"

It took a moment for Harry to figure out what Professor McGonagall was talking about. "You mean Sal? Oh, she's a Garter Snake."

"Yes but," this didn't seem to answer McGonagall's question, as she looked at Sally with an amount of fear in her eyes. "Why do you have it here?"

"She's like my sister." Harry said with a smile, taking his seat by Ron. McGonagall still didn't seem satisfied, but she only pressed her lips together. 

When the Ravenclaw students were seated McGonagall began. "Now, when you finish this year of school, you will have passed the half way point of your education. This means, you should start to consider what you want to do with your lives." She paused, as though for effect. "Over Christmas this year, you will be giving a list of classes. These are not required classes, and they meet in the evenings. You should sign up for a class or two that will suit your choice of positions."

"Did you hear that Hermione? _One or two_." Ron stopped quickly when McGonagall and Hermione both gave him looks that mirrored each other.

McGonagall continued. "A new class being offered this year that I encourage all of you to take is the parenting class, being taught by Professor Deleve. For homework you will all be writing me a twelve inch essay on what you wish to do, and we will make suggestions on the classes you take." She ignored the groans from many in the class. "Today we will be taking a review test to see what we remember from last year." More groans followed as she passed out the test.

Harry breezed through his test, having reread last years text book over the summer and read this years. He had read most of the books out loud to Sally, who was very good at memorizing spells.

As Harry waited for the rest of the students to finish, there was a knock on the door. McGonagall opened it to reveal Professor Dumbledore, and Ginny. 

"Professor?"

"Good Morning Minnie. I see we are just finishing up a test."

"Why yes. How can I help you?"

"Well you see Minnie, Miss. Weasley and Mr. Potter brought an interesting point to Professor Snape's attention yesterday. There is a rotting Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and we are letting it go to waist. So, as Mr. Potter's, er, talents are needed to get down there, I thought his class would be perfect to come and harvest the ingredients. And as Mr. Longbottom just finished his last question, we are all finished our test, and have a full hour. That is if you have no objections, Professor McGonagall."

Her lips thinned once more, but she shook her head 'no'.

"All right then, class we are going on a field trip. Please follow your guides, Miss. Weasley and Mr. Potter, and we will go learn some history while benefiting many people in the magical community." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

The class stood, and started to walk out of the class room. Harry caught Ginny's eye. This is not what he had in mind, and from what he could tell, her either.

"Lead the way." 

Ginny and Harry started out for Myrtle's bathroom. When they entered, Myrtle looked up. "Oh, it's you." She said, her eyes falling on Harry and Ginny.

"Hello Myrtle." The boys in the class felt rather uncomfortable in the girls bathroom. Harry turned to Dumbledore, who had a small smile on his face. "Professor, the way down is a little, ah, slimy."

"I hope you haven't worn your good robes, class." His smile made Harry feel more comfortable. He turned to face the sink and all the members of the class tried to get a better look at him. 

"Open," he hissed. The class gasped as the sink disappeared.

"What did you say?" Neville asked.

"I said open."

Harry didn't want Ginny alone down there, remembering what happened the last time. "I'll go first, Gin after me, and then you can all follow." Harry pulled himself up into the pipe and let go. He noticed it wasn't _as_ slimy, and by the time all the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw forth years, Ginny, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore all slid down there would be no slime left.

Ginny was right behind him, and Professor Dumbledore behind her, Hermione and Ron just behind him. The rest of the students came, and Professor McGonagall brought up the rear. She stood and brushed herself off, and her eyes fell on the large amount of rock that remained from the collapse.

"My, what happened there?"

Harry looked behind at the rocks. "That's were the rocks collapsed when Lockhart tried to wipe our memories, and his spell backfired. It's re-collapsed since then. It was all the way to the top Ron and Lockhart were on this side, and I was on the other. While I kept going, Ron started moving rock so we could get back through."

"Though I do enjoy a good climb now and then, I highly doubt my bones are up to this one. What do you say we do away with this little obstacle?" Dumbledore asked pulling his wand out.

When nobody objected, he gave the wand a wave, and the rocks disappeared. Harry looked up, and noticed the large cracks had been mended too. He led the way forward, Ginny right beside him. The cave twisted and turned, and the group walked on, when suddenly there was a scream.

"SNAKE! I saw a snake!" Lavender shouted. They all turned to look at her.

"There are no snakes down here." Harry said loudly. "Besides Sal, and the dead Basilisk. Basilisks are enemies to all snakes, magical or not. They all avoid this place, and all magical snakes felt it when the last Basilisk died, but only Sally will come down here, and only when she's with me."

"Oh," Lavender said quietly, blushing.

Harry turned, and continued walking. He noticed Ginny looked pale. "Are you okay?" he hissed softly in Parseltongue.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. Harry took her hand in his, which seemed to help calm her. Hermione noticed the action with a smirk, and was glad she was the only one to see it.

They soon reached the solid wall with the entwined serpents. "They look so real." McGonagall said in wonder. 

Harry nodded. "It takes a lot of practice to be able to switch from English to Parseltongue. The only way Riddle could do it was if he was face to face with a live snake. That's why these were made to look real, and why there is a snake scratched into the tap upstairs."

"I hope you are all listening to this." Dumbledore said seriously. "Parselmouths may be rare now, but especially if the gift is hereditary, we may see a few more in the next ten years or so."

Harry blushed slightly, realized Dumbledore meant his children would probably be Parselmouths. The idea had never crossed Harry's mind. Of course, he had never thought about having children. He looked up at the snakes.

"Open," he hissed. The wall split, sliding away, and the class gasped. Harry and Ginny walked forward.

"Merlin's beard, Har," Ron said looking around. "You must have been scared shitless coming though here alone."

Everybody was so eager to hear Harry's response that Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to scold Ron for his choice of language.

Harry gave a small chuckle. "Well, I do remember a few times I thought one of these hunks of stone moved." He shook his head. "It felt like they were looking at me."

"No kidding!" Seamus exclaimed, with a shudder. "Those things look like they're 'bout ready to bite your head off. Little Ginny's lucky it was you. If it were me I'd be runnin' fast as my feet'd carry me in the other direction."

Harry laughed with everybody else, but continued forward. "It's just ahead, and you might want to hold your nose. It's been rotting for two years, you know."

They reached that statue of Salazar Slytherin, the Basilisk dead at it's feet. The class, Professor McGonagall, and even Professor Dumbledore, were speechless.

"Harry!" Hermione cried at last. "_You killed that thing?!"_

"Cool it Hermione. I had Godric's sword, it's not like I did it with my bare hands. And I had Fawkes, I owe my life to him."

Dean was examining the Basilisk. "Hey Harry, where's it's other fang?" 

Harry pulled his sleeve up past his elbow. There was a large patch of scar tissue. He pointed to a spot beside the wall. "Pulled it out of my arm somewhere over there, I don't remember it to clearly, sorry."

"_I don't remember it to clearly, sorry._" Ron did a _very_ good impression of him. "Sorry? Harry, you were _dying_, I think it's okay if you don't remember every detail."

"So what's it feel like to die, Harry?" Seamus asked.

"Luckily, I can't tell you Seamus."

"Okay, so what's it feel like to _almost_ die?"

"Everything goes foggy, and the world seems to dissolve. Things get really slow, like time is slowing down. That's the best way to describe it."

Dumbledore was walking around the Basilisk. "Yes, this is going to be very good. NOW CLASS, LISTEN UP! Don't touch the fangs. There is still venom in them. The eyes are pierced. Fawkes did a nice job there, so you don't need to worry about being petrified, or worse. We need to save every bit of this we can, because there may _never_ be another."

"EWWWWW! EW! EW! That's BLOOD!" a Ravenclaw girl shouted pointing at a spot near the wall.

"DUDE!" Dean said rushing forward. "Is it the snakes, or Harry's?" 

Harry glanced over at it. "Mine," he said simply. "Professor, do we do this?"

"Well, I needed to see it first, before I could figure out what to do. Right now, let's take care of the fangs. They are the most dangerous part." Professor Dumbledore walked forward to the spot where Dean and Seamus stood. In the middle of a bright red stain on the floor was a fang that was red at the tip, but white at the top. 

Dumbledore took out his wand, and floated the fang in the air. He then waved it again and two objects appeared on the floor. One Harry recognized at once. It was Godric's sword, the other was a long empty case. 

"What?" Dumbledore whispered. He opened the empty case, and placed the fang into it, and then turned to the sword. "How on earth did this get here? Very well, I'll just send it back to the office." He pointed his wand at it. "Nevynio!"

The sword disappeared, and then reappeared three feet away from where it had fist been. Dumbledore looked confused. "Nevynio!" he shouted again.

This time the sword reappeared right in front of Harry. "NEVYNIO!" 

The sword disappeared, then reappeared floating in mid air above Harry. The sword was in a sheath. It rotated in the air. The sheath was made of what could be recognized as black dragon hide. Large scarlet rubies spelled out the name _Godric Gryffindor._ On each side of the name was a lion. The body made of amber stones, the mane and tip of tail the same rubies as the name, and bright green sapphires as the eyes.

The sword's rotating became spinning. It was engulfed by a large scarlet light. Then with a bang that made the class scream, the light disappeared, the sword stopped spinning, and there was something decidedly different about it. The words _Godric Gryffindor _now read _Harry Potter._

Dumbledore looked at the sword for a moment, then at Harry. Harry stared at the sword, completely shocked. 

"Godric Gryffindor," Dumbledore said slowly, "had magic much stronger then mine. I believe this is his doing. A spell on his sword, suddenly activated for some reason." He walked forward, and reached out to take the sword out of the air, but it jerked away toward Harry. The strap of the sheath floated up over Harry's head, and lowered down on him. Then it stop floating, and hung from Harry's shoulder. 

Harry, eyes wide, looked at Dumbledore.

"Professor, what just happened?"

"I believe the sword has," he paused, "chosen you. It must be a spell of Godric's, but why I'm not sure."

Meanwhile, miles away in a small town.

Seven year old Nathan ran in to the woods. It wasn't his fault! Things like that just happened around him. He would give anything to make them stop.

There was a noise to his right, he jerked around. A short, pudgy man emerged from the bushes. The last thing Nathan saw was a long, straight, stick in the man's hand.


	13. Padfoot and Books

Chapter 13

Padfoot and Books

Harry, was in the least, shocked. Dumbledore tried to take the sword, but it wouldn't be lifted off of him. Then Harry took it off with no problem, but he tried to hand it to Dumbledore, and it just floated back over his head.

"Well, there's nothing we can do then."

"So you're going to let him have a sword?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. 

"There's nothing I can do. The sword won't leave him."

"Is he just going to wear it to classes then?"

"I can take it off," he said slowly, "it's just nobody else can touch it."

Very far off in the distance, a bell could be heard ringing. "Class is over. Well, Mr. Potter, I will send for you when I have some Ministry officials come to help us. You, I believe, have a meeting with Hagrid and Heather.

Harry nodded, why did Dumbledore know about that? They started out, quicker this time. It was a relief to get away from the smell. When they reached the pipe, Harry walked over to it. 

He said a few sentences in Parseltounge, which was obviously more then just 'open'. Ginny started cracking up at whatever it was he said. The pipe became a stairway.

"What did you say this time?"

"Professor McGonagall would yell if I told you. You have to insult it to get it to make stairs."

Ron laughed. "If only we had known that!"

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were walking to Hagrid's cabin. Harry knocked and the door opened to reveal Heather.

"Heather," Harry said.

"Hello, love, we were waiting for you."

"Sorry, we got held up."

The four friends sat down at the table. Ginny felt slightly uncomfortable. After all, she had never really talked to Hagrid before.

"Well, now yer all 'ere. Wait a sec, 'nother Weasley?"

Ginny blushed slightly. Curse her blushing. She did it all the time.

"Hagrid, you know Ginny, she's a year younger then us."

Ginny's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't 'Ginny, Ron's little sister' anymore. It was a stupid thing to be happy about, but she hated being known through her brothers, especially by Harry.

"Yeah, I remember yeh. My firs' thought when I saw yeh was 'She looks jus' like Flower.'"

"Flower?" Ginny asked.

"Lily Potter," Heather answered.

"Hey Heather, what where you really coming into Snape's room for?"

"Oh, just to piss him off. I can't forget everything Padfoot taught me."

"Did I hear my name?" said a voice in the corner.

Heather, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid let out a scream. Harry recognized the voice immediately. He jumped up out of his seat, and looked over in the corner. 

Hagrid jumped out of his chair. "Don't yeh dare come near Harry!" he roared.

Harry ignored Hagrid's shouting. "Sirius!" He ran foreword into Sirius' arms.

"Don't go near him-" Hagrid cut off, shocked as Sirius pulled Harry into a hug.

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Little Man."

Hagrid fell into his seat with a loud thud, completely shocked. 

Harry pulled away quickly. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"

"Oh, come on. Since when did some danger ever stop Padfoot?"

"Why'd you come back, where were you?" Harry asked quickly. He had so many things to say. The letters had been few and short over the summer. There was only so much that he could ever say, for fear of them being intercepted.

"Slow down, Harry. I was in the States, looking for something. I came back because what I was looking for came here."

Harry was confused. "What?"

Sirius looked behind him. Heather had gone white as a ghost. She kept opening and then closing her mouth, but making no sound. Sirius walked toward her, and she tried to back away. He grabbed her arm.

"Books, it was Peter. Not me. We switched. It was a bluff. He faked his own death, turning into his rat form. He posed as Ron's pet. He was too close to Harry. I had to come after him."

Heather made no noise, then she just started crying. She collapsed into Sirius' arms "Hush, Books, it's okay."

She continued to sob into Sirius' shoulder. Hagrid had seemed to get the point that Sirius was _not_ here to hurt Harry. Heather wiped her tears. "I- I thought I'd never see you again."

He pulled her close again. "I went to look for you. Albus told me you were in the States. I started on the east coast, and searched my way to Texas before Albus wrote me again. He told me that you had agreed to take the D.A. position. I came back right away."

"I was in California."

"Well that explains it. I started on the wrong side of the country."

"But, I, how?" Hagrid seemed to have a lot of questions he was unable to word.

"I believe I can answer that Hagrid." Dumbledore shut the door tightly behind him, and locked it with magic. 

"Professor!"

"Let us all sit down, and take things from the top."

Dumbledore explained to Heather and Hagrid exactly what had happened last year. Hagrid was delighted to hear news on Buckbeak. Dumbledore said that he knew Sirius wanted to find Heather, so he had left Sirius the dog in Hagrid's cabin, asking Hagrid to watch him for a while.

Heather seemed unable to let go of Sirius, as though he would disappear if she did. Sirius' eyes fell on Ginny, and he was startled.

"Who are you?"

"Oh!" Harry realized with a jolt that Sirius and Ginny had never met. She was taking meeting a convicted criminal fairly well, she hadn't said a word. Of course that was rather tipical of Ginny. "Sirius, this is Ginny. You can trust her, she's known for some time now."

"In that case, hello Ginny. You're Ron's little sister?" She nodded, blushing slightly at being addressed directly. "You look a lot like Lily, did you know that?"

"Actually, that's the forth time I've been told that today," she said with a smile.

Sirius laughed. "Well, sit you and Harry together, switch eyes, and Lily and James would be back. Even the ages are right. If you two start dating in two years, I'll start screaming that history is repeating it's self."

Ginny turned crimson. Harry shoke his head and smiled.

"How long are you staying, Padfoot?" Heather asked.

"As long as I can. I'm hiding in the forest."

Sirius noticed the sword hanging from Harry's shoulder. "Harry, what's up with the sword."

"Oh that," he said sheepishly. He explained to Sirius and Heather what had happened.

"Huh, that's really weird." Heather looked thoughtful. Harry nodded.

Dumbledore left some time after that. After some cheery conversation among the friends, Harry turned to Hagrid. "Hagrid, how come you never told me that mum and dad were a year apart, or that dad taught here."

Hagrid looked taken aback by the question. "Well, I guess I just sorta forgot yeh didn' know, Harry. I didn' like ter bring the subject up a lot."

Harry nodded. "What else can you guys tell me?"

Sirius leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head, a grin on his face. "What do you want to know?"

_What did he want to know?_ He wanted to know everything. He had to start somewhere. "What about my grandparents? Are any of them still alive?"

Heather answered. "I don't know how your father's parent's died, but they must be dead or you would have gone to them rather then Flower's sister. Your mother's parents were Muggles. They both died in Flower's fifth year. Her father in a car accident, her mother of a heart attack a week later. That's actually how Flower and Prongs got together."

"It is?"

"Yes," Sirius replied. "She was so close to her parents, and she was a down right mess when they died. Prongs took her, well, somewhere. Away from the school, away from everybody. They had a room somewhere that James didn't put on the map. She wouldn't talk to anybody but him. Then they left for a few days to go to Flower's house, which her parents had willed to her. I guess it would be yours now, Harry. Anyway, they were gone three days, and when they came back, they just were together."

"Something happened." Heather said. "It wasn't just Flower. Something happened to Prongs while they were gone."

"Heather," Ginny said quietly. 

"Yeah?"

"The records at the Ministry say that James Potter's mother died giving birth to him, and his father died when he was twelve."

Heather, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Harry stared at her. She turned red, but kept going. "I went with dad to work one day, and he let me go explore. There were all kinds of records, and I looked it up."

Sirius looked at Heather. "No wonder he was always at my place."

"But wouldn't Dumbledore have done something about it?"

"Not if he didn't know. James _never_ said a thing!"

"Lily knew!" Heather exclaimed. "No matter what, if the conversation ever turned to his parents, _she_ would rush in and change the subject. I never thought to question it."

"That letter," Sirius said hitting his forehead with his hand.

"What letter?"

"I only remember it because it was the night before Quidditch try-outs. In our second year, a letter arrived for James. He didn't look happy about it, but he wouldn't show it to us."

"You would think his father dying would upset him," Heather said slowly.

Sirius shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think so. You girls didn't know him in our first year. He thought he was a failure, that everything was his fault. I," he paused as he seemed to draw a conclusion. "I bet his father blamed him for the death of his mother!"

Heather's head dropped. "That would have been horrible to have a parent that didn't love you."

They all heard the door close, and looked up to see that Harry had left. His figure could be seen heading toward the lake.

"Should somebody go after him?" Sirius asked.

"Let him alone for a while," Ginny replied. "He's had a very busy day. Sally's with him, and if there's anyone who can cheer him up it's her." 

Harry couldn't listen to it anymore. It was scary. His father went through almost the exact same things as Harry. Never knowing a parent. Growing up in a family that didn't love you. Not knowing what love was. 

'He didn't tell anyone. Not even Dumbledore knew. He was on his own from twelve. He had it _worse_ then I do.' Harry thought.

He had always pictured his parents as very happy people with perfect lives. Lives that were only cut short because Voldemort felt like killing that day. Deep down, he had always known there was no way that was true. But it was _easy_ to picture them that way.

'Heather said that mum was only eighteen when she had me. That means dad was nineteen. They must have been married before then, Malfoy would have told me about it if I was a bastard.'

Something in him was stirring. There was something deeper there he couldn't see. A secret, that explained _why._ _Why_ Voldemort had come after them. _Why_ he didn't kill his mother right away. _Why _nobody was told about James' father. _Why_ the sword had 'chosen' Harry. Somehow, Harry knew, they were all connected. And he was determined to find out.

"Oh no. Determination. What are you up to?" Sally asked.

Harry sat down by the lake and sighed. He explained everything to Sally. There was just no point to keep things from her. She wouldn't repeat anything, and the only one who would understand her was Ginny. 

"And you think there's a connection between all of it?"

"I know there is. It's right there, and I can't see it."

Harry made it through the rest of the week. Friday evening, Fred and George interupted the homework Harry was doing. 

"Harry, there's a party in the hall, and we're the guests of honor!"

"What?" It took Harry a minute to figure out what they were talking about. "Oh right, we have to elect new Captains. It slipped my mind."

Fred and George grinned at each other in that way that made you think they were up to something. "Well, we _really_ think you should come."

"Yeah, I'm coming." Harry found his friends, and they all headed down to the hall together. 

There was quite a crowd. Though it was only the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams being voted for, it seemed the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs wanted some say on it.

Dumbledore stood at the front. "Gadies and Lents, listen up please."

Quiet slowly desended on the hall. "I must explain how the voting works. Naturally, the vote is open to everyone, but we must tack tactics in to consideration. What we do not want is other teams voting for the person who they believe would make the worst captain in an adtempt to give their team an advantage. So this is how it works. Members of the team being voted for have a vote worth what we call a voten. Their vote is worth ten votes. It makes sence that the people on the team will know who should lead them. They are unable to vote for themselves. The members of that team's house have a votive, worth five votes. The members of that house are the ones who are most likely to vote for who they think will do good. Members of other houses have a votwo, woth two. Members of opposing teams have one vote, as they are the ones most likly to vote negitivly. The vote boxes _will know_ who you are, so don't try to lie to them and right give yourself a new name." He let them take all of this in.

Harry realized he had a chance to vote for his own team, and for the Slytherins. His vote would count ten times, and then only once. Who would he vote for? He didn't care who won the Slytherin postion, but who on his own team? They all had their qualities. Fred and George were more leaders then the girls, but how would he chose between them?

"We'll vote on the Slytherin captain first."

About a half an hour later, all who wanted to had voted for the Slytherin. Harry didn't vote at all, as most of the Gryffindors did. They then had the vote for Gryfindor. Harry didn't vote. He couldn't decide. Did they really even need a captain? They worked so good together _without_ instruction.

"The votes have been counted by the boxes." Dumbledore waved his wand. A large white shimering square appeared on the wall. The names of each of the six Slytherin players were written in green. 

They waited with held breath to see who would win. Harry had a nasty feeling he knew _exactly_ who would win. The numbers appeared.

"Draco Malfoy, congratulations," Dumbledore said with a knowing smile. Malfoy smirked in his conceded way, and crossed his arms.

The white square went blank. Katie, George, Fred, Angelina, Alicia, and Harry's names appeared on it in red. They waited once more with held breath. The numbers appeared, and Harry felt his mouth fall open.

_He had won, by a lot._ It was a surprise to say the least. He hadn't even thought about it. He was the youngest member of the team. The least experienced. He turned to Fred and George who were beside him.

"But, why?"

They grinned. "Okay everybody, Harry wants to know why! Let us count the ways." George replied.

"You're the best damn player we've ever had, for a start." Fred said.

"You know what to do, and when to do it." George and Fred were taking turns.

"You know when enough is enough, and you remember that it's a game."

"You play because you like to, and for no other reason."

"We felt like brightening your day."

"We didn't feel like doing it."

"We thought we'd add one more thing to your list of things to worry about."

"Somebody has to kick Malfoy's ass."

"And you have more right for that job then anybody."

"The girls would start fighting over who won."

"The girls would start shouting over who won."

"The girls would start killing over who won."

"The girls-"

"Enough!" shouted Katie, Angelina, and Alicia together.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked up beside Harry. "You're the best man for the job, Harry." Ron said, and there was a distinct amount of pride in his voice.

That touched Harry. Ron wasn't jealous that Harry becoming the Captin would rule Ron out even if he ever did join the team. Ron was proud of Harry, like a brother.

"Yeah Harry," Hermoine said with a grin. "Go kick Malfoy wear it hurts!"

Ginny tugged of Harry's sleave. She pulled him away from the crowd. "Harry, this means that your first match is against the Slytherins, it's your first game as Captian, and it's the day the Pro teams come to see you."

Shock spread across Harry's face. In the mess with the Basilisk, and the sword he had _completly _forgotten about the Quidditch teams.

"Ginny, I forgot! I havn't picked one yet!"

"Don't worry about it. Sally brought me the papers, and I've looked through them. I've singled out your best bets, and who needs a new seeker. Meet me tonight, and we'll talk about it."

Harry nodded, clearly impressed. Ginny just took it apon herself to help him in any way she could. A year ago, he would have passed it off as hero worship, but he knew that wasn't the case anymore. Now she knew him, he was more then a hero, he was a person, and she still hadn't changed her attitude about him. "Thanks," was all he managed before the members of the Gryffindor house dragged him away for a party.


	14. The Crazed Fan

Chapter 14

The Crazed Fan

Harry looked around the corner of the corridor before walking quickly into a door, and shutting it behind him with a sigh. Ginny and Heather looked up at him. 

"Did she catch you?"

He shook his head, relaxing. Heather let out a giggle, and Harry gave her a look. "It's _not_ funny. You wouldn't be laughing if a cupid-stricken girl was chasing you around." Sally giggled, and Harry's look silenced her. Ginny held back her laugh.

"Get used to it, Harry. As long as you're single, there will be more," came a voice behind him. 

Harry jerked around. "Sirius, what are you doing here? Why are you in the school?"

"Heather thought it was too cold for me to stay out there, so she has a pet dog now."

Harry grinned. "So you'll be in the school?" The question sounded innocent enough, but there was a marauding meaning behind it. 

"You know I will," he said with a wink.

Harry plopped into a chair at Heather's table. He and Ginny had decided that this was a _really_ big decision, that required the aid of an adult. Numerous papers of research were spread across the surface of the table. 

"Sorry I'm late. She was waiting in the hall, and I had to go all the way down to the charms corridor to get around her. 

Ginny's giggle escaped. She covered her mouth to hide it. Harry looked at her.

"I suppose you all think it's funny, don't you?" Ginny tried to shake her head 'no', but just ended up nodding anyway.

"Sorry, Harry," she said through her laughter.

Harry shook his head and looked up at Sirius. "Have they filled you in on it all then."

"Yes, they have. So have you decided on your team yet?"

Harry shook his head, looking blankly at the papers in front of him. Sirius put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Little Man. Everything will work out."

"I guess so. It's just, this decision will effect my whole life, and I don't want to make it."

"Fine, I'll make it for you," Ginny said handing him a piece of paper. 

He read it out loud.

_The Catapults win another game, this one lasting four days long. _

The Catapults are feeling their lack of a real seeker. Sue Litrel is not coming through as they had hoped. She states "I have a contract for the rest of the year. I'm doing all I can, but this isn't my position. I'm a Chaser. At the end of this year I am going to retire." This news was very much expected. We talked to Beater Tiffany Casit about who will fill Sue's place. "We have our eye on someone. We are going to see him play. That's all I'm saying." 

Even without a real seeker, the Catapults are quickly making their way to the top. Their strategy being to score as many times as possible, until even if their opponent does capture the snitch it is useless. The other team usually just captures it anyway, after a few days when the players have become utterly exhausted.

This match was won 4020 to 2860. After the match, Beater Tony Suring, nearly fell asleep during our interview. "We're going to miss Sue, but it'll be good to get some real sleep after this. We do seem to outlast our opponents, but that's cause we're all young. All 'cept Chuck, but that man could sit awake for a month if fancied doing it. He's will is strong." Tony speaks of course, of Chuck Fring, the team's Keeper, who is at least ten years older then every other member of the team except Sue. 

Harry stopped reading. "See Harry? This team is _really_ good, and they need a new Seeker. That's all they need to push then over the top, and they are counting on you."

"I think she's right Little Man, this one looks good. And they are all young, so you know they all won't go retire on you real fast."

"It's your choice, love, but I'm with them."

Harry sighed. "Well alright, but they have to like _me_ first." His eyes traveled over the paper on the Cannons. "I hope Ron understands."

There was a knock as the door that made them all jump. Sirius quickly turned back into a dog, and Ginny grabbed all the papers off the table and shoved them into her bag.

Heather opened the door a crack. "Yes?"

"Excuse me Professor, but is Harry Potter here?"

Harry's eyes went wide at the voice. Heather looked over her shoulder at him. He shook his head violently. Ginny covered her mouth, and shook with silent laughter. The dog in the corner did what could only be described as snicker.

"Why yes," Heather said with a smirk, making Harry's eyes go even wider. "He is." She opened the door the rest of the way."

"Harry! Did you know that dinner has started? Did you know? Your friend Ron said you might be here. We should go down and thank him, don't you think? Don't you?" She didn't wait for him to reply, but grabbed him by the arm and presided to drag him away, chattering happily.

As Harry was being drug down the halls, he swore to himself to make Ron pay. Come to think of it, he didn't even know this girl's name. When they reached the hall, he sent her away to the Huffelpuff table, and to sanctuary at his. Ron and Hermione gave him a look, and he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"She asked me where you were, I told her to try Heather's. What did she want?"

"She's just a little..." he faded off.

"Starstruck?" Ginny supplied, sitting down with them.

Hermione giggled and Ron snorted. "I don't even know what her name is! I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Her name's Elizabeth. All her friends call her Liz." Ginny popped in with information again. "She's in my year."

Harry pushed his food around his plate, letting his mind drift to Quidditch. Try-outs would be before too long, and he had a large say in who made the team. He didn't even notice when Ginny got up, and bolted out of the room.

"Where'd Gin go?" Hermoine asked.

"Don't know,"

"You shouldn't call her Gin, 'Mione. It sounds like you're talking about alcohol. You know, Jin."

"Well stop calling me 'Mione'! I _hate_ that."

"But your name is such a mouthful."

"Well it's-"

"Guys," Harry said forcefully, he wasn't in the mood to hear them fight. "Tonight, we'll all pick real nicknames, if you shut up."

"Oh Harry-Beary!"

The color drained out of Harry's face. Ron hid his head to hide his snorts, and Hermione was using all control to stop laughing. Liz ran to his side. "Harry-Beary, came study with me. I need help in Herboligy. Will you? You don't have too. I s'pose Professor Sprout would help me if I asked, but I really would like you much more. There are a bunch of books in the Library we could use..."

Harry let her ramble for a few more minutes, ignoring as the Slytherins laughed at "Harry-Beary". "I'm very sorry Liz, but it seems I'm very busy this evening. Neville is going to study potions tonight, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help you with Herboligy if you helped him with potions.'

Liz frowned for a moment, then perked right back up. "Of course, I'd love to help a friend of yours Harry. Anything for you Beary!" She rushed off to find Neville, whom Harry was sure would never forgive Harry for this.

Ron couldn't hold it in anymore, he broke out in laughter. 

"Shut _up_ Ron, you prat. If it were you, you wouldn't think it was so funny."

Ron stifled his laughter. "Very sorry Beary."

Harry aimed a throw at Ron, giving him time to duck it. Hermione proceeded to drag them both off.

Harry wasn't lying, he did have something planned for tonight. He told Ron and Hermione he was going for a walk. Ginny still hadn't come back from where ever she went. Now that he thought about it, Fred and George were gone too. As he stepped outside, he pulled the invisibility cloak tighter, clutching his sword to his side.

The mystery of the missing Weasleys was solved quickly. All three were on the field, and flying. Harry was slightly surprised. He had never seen Ginny fly. She was good. She played Keeper, as Fred and George tried to score at her. They weren't able to get anything past her. True, Fred and George weren't the best Chasers in the world, but still.

Harry went to the broom shed and collected his broom. He laid his sword and cloak hidden in the stands. He then climbed the stands to watch a while.

Harry realized with a start what they were doing. Ginny was practicing for the Keeper position on the team, and Fred and George were helping her. Ginny made a spectacular save, flipping upside-down to catch the ball, and Harry couldn't help but clap. Fred, George, and Ginny all looked over at the same time.

Upon seeing Harry, Ginny turned beat red, while Fred and George grinned. 

"Yo, Captain!"

"Hello Sir!"

Harry gave them a look. "Found our team a new Keeper have you?"

"We think so, but she doesn't. So she drags us out here in the half dark to help her because she doesn't want anybody to see her play."

Harry noticed she was flying a school broom. "Well, you were doing very well Ginny. Keep that up, and I'll beg you to be on the team. I was going to join you, but I have something to do. You can use my broom if you want, if you promise to put it away for me. Just leave it on my bed."

Ginny's eyes widened. "You mean I can use your broom to practice?"

"Sure." He held it out to her. She flew over and took it slowly from him.

Harry chuckled. "It may be a good broom, Ginny. But it's not a sacred thing. You can touch it."

"You're sure you don't mind?"

"'Course not. I owe you a lot anyway. Tell Ron and Hermione I'll be back around ten." With that her turned and headed back to where he had left his cloak and sword.

Ginny mounted the broom and watched Harry walk off. She saw him pick up his cloak. 'Wonder where he's going in secret,' she thought. She then say him pick up the sword, and disappear. 'Now that's interesting.' 

Harry walked towards the woods. This is what he had been doing before meeting with Heather. He had found a clearing in the woods, and then gone to the Library. Now that he had a sword that wouldn't leave him, he might as well learn to use it. He checked some books out, and left them in the clearing. Now he could come out at night and teach himself. 

The clearing wasn't very far into the woods. He didn't dare go too far back. Removing the cloak, he unsheathed the sword. He opened the book _Simple Swords for Sorcerers _to the first page and began.

The sword was lighter then it looked, and the first few things he tried were easy. There seemed to be some sort of bond between him and the sword when he started to use it, as though the _sword_ was teaching him more then the book. On an impulse, he flipped to the back of the book to one of the harder moves. He performed it flawlessly, and stared at the sword.

He hadn't really considered that this was a magical sword. But it seemed as long as whatever he wanted to do was humanly possible, and he knew _what_ he wanted to do, the sword gave him the ability to do it.

He opened some of the more complicated books and began to try and learn moves by name. He practiced hard, and had worked up quite a sweat by the time he collapsed in a chair by Ron, Hermione, and now Ginny.


	15. The Founding of the Dream Team

Chapter 15

The Founding of the Dream Team

"Where were you?"

"No where."

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing." Hermione gave him a look that read "You Are Up to Something And I Am Going to Figure It Out."

"So Beary," Ginny said changing the subject with a grin. "I hear you turned down a study date."

Harry groaned. "Don't go there." 

Sally slithered across the room, making a number of the girls scream, and wrapped around Harry's neck.

"Speaking of Beary, we were going to get real nicknames, remember? I hate Mione, and Herm is getting old."

Harry looked pointedly at the book in her lap. "What was it Sirius kept calling Heather?"

"Books." Ginny answered.

"Maybe," Harry said with a grin, "we can reuse that. I don't think she'd mind."

"Booky!" Run exclaimed, then giggled rather girlishly.

Hermione turned red. "Then Harry keeps Beary." 

Harry paled. "No, no no no."

"Just Bear?" Ginny offered. Ron giggled again, and Harry looked at him. 

"Just what is your problem?"

"Hermione thought he was being "such a complete guy" so she put a feminine spell on him." Ron giggled. Harry rose an eyebrow. 

"Ronda," he muttered.

"We could make that his nickname!" Ginny exclaimed.

Harry shook his head. "Then all my friends would be girls, and well, that's just not my style." Ron giggled. Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll keep Bear. What are we naming Ronda?"

Ron giggled, pulled a comb out of his pocket, and started to try and comb Harry's hair. Ginny and Hermione burst out laughing. "Hermione take that spell off of him!"

Though her laughter, Hermione pointed her wand at him. 

Ron blinked, and jumped away from him, landing in his seat while glaring at Hermione.

"I don't want a nick name now," he muttered.

"Well, his name means mighty power, and he loves chess." Ginny looked thoughtful. "I got it, what's the most important piece in chess that nobody every really thinks is important, until they're gone?"

"The knights?" Ron asked. She shook her head.

"The pawns," Harry answered with a grin. She nodded.

"Pawn." 

"I like it," Hermione answered.

Ron shrugged. "If Booky likes it." Then he blushed slightly at how that sounded.

"You're left Gin."

"Anything but that. I'm not an alcohol!"

"What does your name mean?"

"Well," she looked thoughtful. " 'Ginny' is not really a name. It stems off of Virginia, which if I remember correctly means... maidenly."

"Have you memorized that book?" Hermione asked.

Ginny blushed. "Not all of it."

"What's mine mean?"

"Hermione is Greek for of the world or earth."

"And mine?"

"Harry is Old English for army man."

Ron laughed. "Well that certainly fits, don't it?"

"Doesn't it, Ron," Hermione corrected.

Ron rolled his eyes and started to do an impression of her scolding him.

"So, maidenly. What does that make you think of?"

"Flowers," Ron answered

They looked at him and he shrugged. "Maybe it's the side effect of Booky's spell."

"Well, you could use Flower."

"No." Ginny said rather forcefully. "I won't do that. It was Lily's name, and she may keep it."

Harry was slightly touched, and hoped it didn't show. "Well then, do you have a favorite flower?"

"Harry every girl has a favorite flower!" Hermione grinned. "Personally, I love Daffodils."

"Roses," Ginny said, her eyes brightening. "White Roses." She sighed. "In other words, Wedding Roses."

"Rose it is."

"Well that's all said and done."

"No way!" Ron exclaimed. "We need a group name. Like the Marauders. Something for all of us."

"Good idea."

They looked thoughtful. Suddenly, Harry remembered something. "Remember when Snape called us the "Dream Team"? What if we used that, if only to spite him."

Ron's face brightened. "I love it."

"Oh, how can you three do these things to that poor heart broken man?"

"How? Because if he could, do you know what he'd do to me?"

"What?"

"This!" Harry jumped at her, pulling back slightly to give her time to run.

Ginny shrieked, jumping off the back of the chair, laughing as Harry chased her. "Run Rose. The Bear is after you!" Hermione called. This only made Ginny laugh harder. She ran, not really watching were she was going, and tripped. She screamed as she headed right for the fireplace. 

Harry didn't have time to think. Ginny tripped, and was heading right for the fire. He leaped, and by some miracle, got is arms around her, and pull her down. She landed in his lap, hardly a half a foot away from the flames.

"Are you okay?" He asked quickly.

"I- I think ssso." She trembled, and looked over at the flames, which only made her shake more. She leaned away from them, which in turn made her lean into Harry.

"You scared me," he whispered. Ginny looked up at him, surprised by the caring in his words. That was when the common room seemed to come out of it's shock, and everybody rushed to make sure Ginny was actually alright.

In the confusion, nobody noticed a tabby cat go through the portrait hole.

Professor McGonagall ran through the halls on all four legs. She pounced up the stairs to Dumbledore's office, and he looked up (or rather down) at her expectantly. She transformed, and sat down in the chair, not bothering to hide the wince as her bones complained.

"It's started."

He nodded. "I thought so. She is closer to all of them now."

"Albus, what are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can, encourage it."

"But-"

"If we tried to stop it, it would only make it much worse, and then they would know what was going on. Besides, with everything that is about to start, there will be little time for it, and we will have until next year to deal with it. So tell me all about their evening."

"Harry went off somewhere. Ginny too. She came back first, and with Harry's broom. She told Ron and Hermione that he let her borrow it. Ron and Hermione started fighting about something, I really couldn't figure out what it was, and she claimed that he's opinion was male based, and put a feminine spell on him."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Those two make quite a pair."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "She makes him study, that makes me happy. Anyway, then Harry came in, but he was under the cloak. I could smell him. He went up to the dorm, and then came back down. He wouldn't tell them where he had been."

"Not surprising. He was in the forest."

"The forest! What on earth was he doing in there!" 

"He was only on the edge, Minnie, it wasn't dangerous. He was learning how to use his sword. I guess he thinks if he has, he might as well be able to do something with it."

Professor McGonagall's lips thinned. "Well, they gave each other nicknames."

"I see, and what were they."

"Hermione is reusing Heather's old name. She's going by 'Booky'."

Dumbledore chuckled again. "Quite appropriate."

"Well then for Harry they used the name that hero-worshipping girl Elizabeth called him. Bear."

"How did they get him to agree to that?"

She shrugged. "Ginny suggested it. Ron tried to comb Harry's hair, and Harry made Hermione take the spell off of him. Then they gave Ron the name 'Pawn'. Ginny refused to use the name 'Flower'. I think Harry appreciated that more then he let on. So she used her favorite flower, the White Rose, and they're calling her Rose.

"So they are calling the group the Dream Team to make Severus angry. Ginny said, and I quote, "Oh, how can you three do these things to that poor heart broken man?" She seems to understand him better."

"Looks like Heather and Sirius couldn't keep the story to themselves."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Anyway, Harry claimed they could do it because if Severus could, he do 'this'. Then he chased her around the room. She tripped, and was falling head first for the fire. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to jump and grab her. It was very close. And for a few moments, they just sat there, him with her in his lap." She shook her head. "I calmed my raising heart just in time to hear him whisper that she had scared him. Nobody but her and I heard him. Sometimes a cat's hearing is an advantage."

Dumbledore smiled slightly, and looked down at his desk, where numerous papers were scattered. "It has indeed started. I do believe I'll go have a talk with them."

Finally, Ginny had managed to convince the common room that she was in fact, _fine._ The one person who really wasn't convinced was Harry himself. Not that she really minded the way he sat protectively beside her. 

Sally wrapped around her neck, and hissed in her ear, which used to tickle, but Ginny had gotten used to it. "He doesssn't even realissse how much you mean to him." She blushed. 'I wish I meant to him as much as he does to me. I'd walk through fire, of a cliff, and down to the depths of hell for him. Why me? Why him? The one person I _know_ I have no chance with.'

Her thoughts were interrupted when the portrait opened and the whole room went silent. Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Don't mind me, go back to your fun. It is a Saturday night. I'm only in need of one of you."

Ginny wasn't the least bit surprised that he walked over and sat in the seat that would have been Harry's if he hadn't been sitting with her. 

"Good evening Dream Team."

"Word travels fast. Is nothing here sacred?" Ron asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "The grapevine of Hogwarts is a long one, and I am at the base of it." His eyes twinkled again. Ginny was jealous of the way he could do that. 'Not that my eyes are worth twinkling. Ugly mud brown. Now Harry's eyes-'

"Harry, you are fourteen." Harry nodded, clearly wondering just where this was going. "Somehow, it seems the older you get, the older I get too. Someday, I will have to figure out why that works. Anyway, over the past few years, you may have noticed that I have, er, allowed you to find out the things you needed to know."

Harry nodded again. "Well, you're older now, and if there's something you need to know, I'm just going to tell you. I'm much too old for mind games anymore."

"Well Professor, something tells me for being much to old for them, you are still very good at them."

"Well, there's something you need to know, and I'm just going to let all of you in on it, as he'll tell you anyway. There have been, disappearances."

Ginny noticed Harry's eyes narrow. 'He is so cute when he's concerned-'

"What kind, Professor?" 

"Well it began with Muggleborns. You know, every Muggleborn child has their name written down by a magical pen as soon as their born. Suddenly, that pen just started to cross out names. It happens once in a while, children do die, as much as we hate the fact. But it was happening often, once every five days or so. They would just disappear, and a few days later, their name would be crossed off."

Dumbledore paused, any hint of a twinkle gone. "It's sad Harry. They are young, they still don't know what they are, and they have either had all their power stolen, or been murdered. We have not found any."

Harry shut his eyes. "Voldemort, must you stoop so low as to use children." He said nothing for quite a while, and neither did anybody else. Ginny was quite aware of the whole room listening in on the conversation. 

"If there is a few days," Harry said suddenly "between when they go missing and when their names are crossed off, this is my opinion on what is happening. He is restoring his power. He captures a child. He's using Muggleborns in hopes to not attract attention of us. That means he is weak yet. Not ready for a confrontation. He captures them, and starts to steal their power. He continues to drain it until he has taken it all. After that, my guess is that he kills them. He's shown in me he doesn't mind killing babies, and he's not the kind to leave somebody around who could be searched for information.

"Even putting protections on the kids probably won't help. He won't be the one out there getting them, that's not his style. It's a follower, and I'm willing to bet on which one it is."

Dumbledore nodded. "That's not all. Yesterday, a half blood went missing."

Harry nodded. "That could mean a number of things. Think about what the rat was like. Voldemort probably just tells him to get him the kids, and leaves him to do the rest. It would be _hard_ tracking down Muggleborns, it would be just like him to bring halfbloods in their place, that's easier."

"Harry, I had not thought of that. You have too much insight on this for your age."

Harry shook his head. "I'd like to see my graduation, insight is necessary. What I worry about, is when does halfbloods become too hard? When does he just start coming here? All these students, all together? The _all_ can't be watched at once."

Dumbledore hung his head. "That had not occurred to me either. Harry, I will leave you now. Thank you for your insight, and" he paused at looked at him. Did Ginny imagine it, or did his eyes flicker to her? "I am so very sorry."

Harry nodded, not needing to ask what it was he was sorry about. 

Dumbledore left, and nobody in the common room moved. Harry stared straight ahead for quite sometime, and still nobody moved. Then he stood slowly, and walked to the brick beside the fire. He pressed his forehead against it, for a moment. Suddenly he made a fist and hit the brick, hard. "Dammit!" 

Most of the room cringed. He hit the wall again, and a third time. Ginny saw blood trickle down from his fist. He saw it too, as he turned and pressed his back against the beaten brick. He stared at his hand, letting the blood run down his arm. 

Ron and Hermione didn't know what to do, but Ginny did. She walked to him, and took his arm in her hand. With a finger, she wiped some of the blood off of his arm until it made her finger red. She held it up in front of him. "What is this Harry."

"It's blood Ginny."

She shook her head. "No Harry, what else is it?"

He didn't answer, but locked eyes with her. "This is your protection. This is why Voldemort can't get to you. This is what holds the love your parents had for you. And now," she held her other hand up to Sally, who seemed to read her mind. Sally bit her finger until it bled. Ginny didn't flinch. She quickly pressed it against Harry's hand. He stared at it, completely shocked. 

'Do it before you lose your nerve.' She pulled back her finger, and kissed his hand where the brick had cut it. "Now it holds my love too. We are with you all the way, Harry. Right behind you. Just because you can't always see us, doesn't mean you can't lean back. We'll catch you, I promise."

"I-" He looked at his hand again, then back at her eyes, which blazed with a passion he could see. "I- didn't know." He shook his head. "I did know, but I didn't want. I still don't want. T-to put you in this. If I lost you three." His head shook again. Hermione and Ron came up behind her. "You guys are my family. I can't put you in this. If you're too close, he'll get to you. Gods, Ginny, it already happened to you. I can't let that happen again. I can't. I won't. I can't-"

"You can't do this on your own, Harry." Ron said, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "That bastard is after you, and you can't protect the world and yourself at the same time, Harry. We know what we're getting into. We don't care. We'll do it for you."

"He's right. Problems shared are problems halved, or in this case, quartered."

Harry looked at them, a tear sliding down his cheek. He looked at Ginny, who smiled slightly. She opened her arms. Without hesitation, he fell into the hug. Hermione and Ron joined in too, and the common room cheered.

Dumbledore, quite invisible, stood unnoticed next to a tabby cat in the corner of the room. He gave a small smile. "Now, the Dream Team has really been founded." With that, he turned and left, the cat walking silently behind him, looking back only once.

'Please children,' she thought. 'Please let all of you make it through the next ten years. It is going to be harder then you know.'


	16. Missing Puzzle Pieces

__

(A/N: It's been a while since I wrote one of these. Sorry the last chapter was kinda angsty, it just sorta came out that way. It'll get better, but it will get worse also. WARNING!!! People die here. I promise it won't be one of the Dream Team, not in this year. But children _die here, and it's killing me to write, so it'll be very vague. I finally have a deadline for myself. I will post EVERY full moon, and only on full moons. Any chapters finished before then will wait until the next moon.)_

Chapter 16

Missing Puzzle Pieces

Ginny tossed in her sleep, trying to escape from her dream, but her mind wouldn't let her.

The were woods, then darkness, then green light. A grave, but her eyes were blurred with- was that tears? She couldn't read the name. She threw herself across the bed, wanting out of here.

"Four, to two, to one. To the last descending son." A voice. Was it male or female? Was it both? She couldn't tell. Her hangings had been torn down by her thrashing. "Four, to two, to one. To the last descending sun."

She jerked into a sitting position, completely awake. She stared ahead, her eyes wide, sweat beads running down her face. She was cold, despite the sweat she had worked up with her thrashing. Then, she said a word that would have made her mother _very_ upset. She closed her eyes. A single thought penetrated her mind. Harry.

Her bed was a disaster area, and she untangled herself from the sheets and crept out the door. Once she made it to Harry's dorm, she didn't open the door. Instead, she leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. 'Ginny, think for a moment what he just went through. This isn't something to bother him with.' And yet... It felt like, like a message. Not for her, or at least not just for her, but for both of them.

The door beside her opened. She jerked up only to see Harry pulling his robe on. She blushed furiously, thankful it was dark.

"Hello Rose. Sal woke me. She said, and I quote, 'There's a tangled bunch of emotions outside the door that could only be Ginny.'" He sat down beside her. "Now what brought you all the way over here, and then you thought wasn't important enough to wake me up for?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly. '_Gods, I love him._' "It was a nightmare."

She could hardly see him nod. "Tell me about it."

"First, it was woods. Then, it was dark, blackness. Then green light. They were just visions, really fast and back and forth. Other things too, but that's all that I remember. Then, I was in front of a grave. I couldn't see the name, my eyes were blurred. I think I was crying. But I'm not sure if I was really me. Like, it was somebody who felt much different. All the visions left. I was, nowhere. Then this voice. I couldn't even tell if it was male of female. It was," she paused "un-earthly."

"What did it say?"

"Four, to two, to one. To the last descending sun."

"Which kind of son?"

"I, I don't know. I just wanted _out_ of it. It had this inhuman feeling. I jerked awake, and all I could think to do was find you. It-" she stopped.

"It what?" he prompted.

"It felt like, like a message. But if it was for me, then it wasn't only for me. That's why I had to tell you. I think it was meant for you to hear."

"I know what you mean. Write it down, Ginny. And tell me if it happens again. It is asleep that we are most vulnerable to the greater magics, you know."

"Where'd you get that?"

She couldn't see him smile, but she heard it in his voice. "Some book."

Ginny made her way back to her room. She pulled out her diary, and turned to the back page. In purple ink, she wrote 'Four, to two, to one, to the last descending sun/son'. Then, she turned to her current page, and wrote the whole dream down. She was exhausted when she finished, and was glad she would be able to sleep in the next morning.

Harry went back to his bed, but sleep was hard coming. He pondered Ginny's dream for a while. It was bothering him, he didn't know why. As he drifted in and out of semi-consciousness, and strong thought popped suddenly in his head. It had come so strong and sudden, Harry had no idea _where_ it had come from. Almost as if it wasn't his.

A single word. _'Why.' _It was a part of that puzzle that hadn't left him since his meeting with Sirius and Heather. Sitting up quickly, he began talking to Sally about it in quiet Parseltongue.

Hermione and Ron weren't sure how to act around Harry the next morning. Harry on the other hand, acted like everything was completely normal. At some points, he could be caught staring off into space, his eyes troubled. 

Ginny woke up near ten, the circles under her eyes indicating that she hadn't slept very well. There was a message posted on the bulletin board that made her moan.

__

Quidditch Tryouts ~ Monday Night ~ Team Must Be Present

"Nooooo," she whimpered, falling into a chair. 

"What is it G- Rose?" Hermione asked.

"I'll never be ready by tomorrow," she whispered.

"Pfff," Harry said with a wave of his hand. "You were ready yesterday."

She shook her head. "Ginny, I didn't know you were trying." Ron looked at her. "Was that what you were doing with Ha- Bear's broom?"

She nodded. "I wish I had just one more day."

"Well, we have today. I'll go practice with you. It won't be favoritism until tomorrow," he said with a wink.

"I- could we?"

He nodded. "Let's go."

They practiced all afternoon, and Harry didn't score half as much as he wanted too. He wasn't a great chaser, but he was good. _'Dad was a chaser,'_ he thought. _'I should try to make him proud_._'_ "Alright, Rose. I'm not holding anything back now."

She nodded grimly as though she thought it would now get twice as hard. '_She thinks too much of me. I wasn't really holding back before.'_

He rocketed forward, faked right, then left, then went right. He shot, then cursed himself as he realized she would be able to block it. She attempted, but it flew right past her. From bellow, it would have looked like an honest miss, but Harry saw through it.

_'She was protecting my pride,'_ he realized and grinned. Reclaiming the ball, he flew back to his starting position. "I'm going to do the exact same play again, and this time don't protect my pride from a blow."

She flushed, smiled very slightly, and nodded. Harry flew forward, faked right, then shot left. Ginny stopped it easily. "You're a lair, Harry Potter." She accused with a grin.

"My lovely Rose, whatever are you talking about?" 

Laughing she though the ball at him, not really trying to hit him. He let it speed past him and fall to the ground. "I'm sorry, Rose, but I'm ready to quit."

"Me too," she said. "I wasn't going to stop until you did though."

"I have something else to do tonight."

"The sword again?" she asked her eyes narrowing. "I saw you tuck it under the bleachers with your cloak. And I saw it the night I was out here with Fred and George. What are you doing? It could be dangerous."

Harry looked at her astonished for a moment. The he sighed. "Come on, I'll show you." 

As Harry pulled the cloak around them, Ginny felt her breath catch. She was so close to him. _'I'd trip on purpose if it wouldn't make me look so stupid,'_ she thought while her heart attempted to beat it's self out of her chest. She was almost sure he could hear it.

They near the woods, and Ginny stopped short. "We aren't going in there, are we?" she asked in a frightened whisper.

"Only the edge. You can hold my hand." The way he said it showed it wasn't meant to be insulting, but rather comforting. Without waiting for her to answer, he took her hand. Ginny really wasn't _that_ scared, but she wasn't about to pull away. He lead them into a small clearing near the edge. 

Ginny looked around as he took the cloak off. There wasn't really anything special about this place. Harry walked over to a tree, and pull books out from inside it. He set them on the near rock, and Ginny kneeled down to read them.

"So your learning how to use that sword. Don't you think you should have started with some beginner books? These are for experts."

Harry unsheathed the sword that was now around his waist. He held it in front of him for a moment, then began moving.

_'I'm gonna die...'_

Moving wasn't quite the word. Dancing was more like it. He started slow, and began to get faster. He moved with every amount of certainty, even when a move may have been fatal if not done correctly. At some point Ginny forgot to breathe, and had to remind herself when her head began to feel light. 

_'He's so beautiful.'_

Harry stopped with a particularly large leap and stood completely still, panting hard. After a moment, he pulled his shirt off and wiped his sweaty face with it. 

_'Breathe Ginny, breathe. You've seen guys without shirts on before.'_

'Yeah, but never Harry, and sweaty on top of it.'

She forced herself to look only at his face, and didn't say a word. Color rose in his face, but Ginny thought it had more to do with how much he had just pushed his body, not a blush.

"It's the sword," he said through his deep breaths. "It has magic. As long as I know what I'm trying to do, the sword lets me do it. I don't think it really gives me more strength or endurance, but it cuts out the practicing a move. My endurance increases only as I train. That's why I come out here. To practice."

"Bloody hell," was all Ginny managed. Harry walked slowly around the clearing to cool down. "Bloody hell."

Harry stopped when he was across from her and gave her a look. When Ginny realized what she said she clamped a hand over her mouth. Harry grinned at her. Walking foreword, he handed the sword to her. She held it for a moment, tracing his name on it.

"It's so light," she whispered, as though it was a holy thing and speaking too loudly would damage it.

"That has to be magic too, those stones would make it heavy if nothing else."

Harry realized with a start he wasn't wearing his shirt. He made no move to put it back on, he was much too hot, but he turned so that his right shoulder wasn't visible to Ginny. A large white scar was all that was left from the fang that has pierced it two years before. Seeing that could upset her.

As Ginny ran a finger up the blade, she felt a tingle go up her spine. "Would it work for anybody but you, do you think?" He suddenly gave she a studying look.

"Dunno. Try it." There was something, not wrong, but not right, about the way she held the sword. He couldn't place it. 

"No way," she said handing it back to him carefully.

Harry wished she had held it longer. There was something bugging him at the back of his head. That bugging was familiar. Like-. '_Like last night. _Why_. This is involved in that _Why_. But I don't even know what's wrong with it.'_

Ginny watched as a troubled look made it's way across Harry's face. "I wish I had an opponent to practice against," he said after a while.

"Sorry, no help from here. All I know is which end to not touch."

Harry laughed, and pulled his shirt back on. 

'_Oh well_,'Ginny gave a mental sigh.

_'The sword. She held it. Dumbledore couldn't. She held it. It didn't float back.'_ He suddenly stopped moving and stood, staring at nothing. Ginny kept her mouth shut, he seemed to be in deep thought. 

_'I'm willing to bet it would have let her use it too. But somehow I know it would never let Ron or Hermione.' _He lifted the sword and stared at that. _'_Why_?'_

"Harry?" He looked up at her.

_'Do I tell her? No. It means something. _Why_._ _It's part of that.'_

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," he said with a smile. Ginny knew it was fake, but she didn't say anything as he put the cloak back over them.

__

They made their way back to the castle. It was time for lunch, and Harry walked towards the dorm with that troubled look back on his face. He reached it, put his sword away and changed. Sally wasn't around. He headed for the great hall. Ginny had beat him there. 

Harry walked up to the table. Sally wasn't there. "Hi Harry!" Ron said brightly. He had obviously noted the troubled expression, but Harry was too distracted to care. 

"Hi." He turned, switching to his Parseltongue. "Sally!" he called.

Ginny looked up, startled that he was calling Sally. "What's he doing?" Ron asked. His question seemed loud now that the entire room had gone quiet at Harry's hiss.

"He's calling for Sally. Harry? What is it?"

"Sal!" he called once more before switching back to English. "I need to talk to her," he stated simply.

"Well there'sss no reason to be shouting your head off about it," Sally said from the door way. "I knew you needed me before you got in the building. I was making my way down here."

"Sal, we need to talk," Harry said in Parseltongue again. His eyes turned to Ginny.

"Go," Ginny said immediately. "I understand I can't over hear this one."

"You don't mind?" Harry hissed softly.

"Of course not. Why would I mind? If I need to know, you'll tell me."

"Thank you Rose." He didn't even realize that he hadn't switched back to English. Sally slid up to his neck, and already began hissing in his ear. Harry nodded, and walked out off the room.

Ginny was suddenly _very_ aware of the entire room, including staff and Professor Dumbledore was staring at her. She turned very red, and then realized why they were staring.

"Miss. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said slowly. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

Ginny grimaced. "I'm not a Parselmouth, Professor. I only understand it, I can't speak it. It's because of the Chamber." No reason to explain that further. Professor McGonagall nodded slowly.

Dumbledore smiled and stood. "Well, now. That _does_ make things interesting. Yes, yes, very interesting. Congratulations on your new found talent, Miss. Weasley. Though I am curious to know why this gift wasn't present last year."

Ginny was very aware of the fact that the whole room was listening. "I- Sal says it was because I blocked out what happened in the Chamber. But when Harry helped me get over that, I stopped blocking it."

Dumbledore nodded. "I see. Miss. Sally is something of a psychiatrist then, is she?"

Ginny hesitated, Harry didn't want people to know. Then Dumbledore locked her with his eyes and she knew she had to tell him. Harry would understand. "Sal is a magical snake. They all have a gifts. Sally's is to read emotions. She studies people, and she's very good at knowing what to say."

Dumbledore smiled again. "My, my. This just keeps getting better. A blessing in snake's skin. She may be exactly what Harry needs. Yes, just maybe."

Harry walked back in then, looking down and muttering to himself in Parseltongue. He was too distracted to notice everybody watching him. He sat down at the table, and hit his head on it a few times. Only then did he realize everybody was watching.

He was much too used to being the center of attention to be horribly embarrassed. "What is it?" he asked nobody in particular.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore started, "what is troubling you so?"

Harry looked at him, and waited a moment before answering. "A puzzle, Professor. A puzzle that needs to be put together."

"I see, and is it coming together?"

"Not yet Professor. There are too many missing pieces. Some I believe, that you hold."

Professor Dumbledore took his time in answering. "I hold many pieces, Mr. Potter. I hope they are not to the puzzle you are solving, for that puzzle is a very complicated one. One I hope you don't start for many years. Though it appears that my hope is in vain, and in that case, it is not my place to give you the pieces."

Harry looked at him for a very long time. There was something about him right now, that made even the Professors feel like children near him. Harry said something in Parseltongue again, shaking his head. Ginny's eyebrows disappeared in her bangs.

Harry turned to Ginny. His eyes became soft, and then hard and guarded. He spoke slowly in Parseltongue. After a moment she nodded, then her eyes grew wide and hurt, after another moment she shook her head, tears in her eyes. 

"No," she whispered softly, looking down. He said something else.

"I don't care!" she cried, then lowered her voice. "I don't care Harry, I don't. I never will." She held up the hand where Sally had bit her last night. Harry's hand rubbed the one that had been bloody the night before. "I don't care." His eyes lost their cold look, and became regretful.

"Thank you, Ginny," he said in English. Sally had left his neck, now on the floor, and he turned and walked off. Ginny watched his retreating back, then fell down to her seat, put her head in her arms, and cried. Ron and Hermione stared shocked, as did everybody else in the room. Even Dumbledore's eyes held surprise. 

Sally slid up and licked Ginny's face. "Hush, Rossse. He doesssn't underssstand it. He hasssn't been loved for mossst of hisss life. He lovesss, and he underssstandsss that. But he doesssn't underssstand that othersss love him. He doesssn't want to know you would die for him in a heartbeat. That ssscaresss him. You sssaw hiss face. He didn't mean to hurt."

"I know, Sal. I know." Dumbledore watched with narrowed eyes.

"He loves you Ginny, don't forget it, and don't let him forget it either."

Ginny nodded in her arms, but still cried. Any attempt to comfort her or cheer her up was fended off by Sally. Not that Fred and George hadn't tried.

Ginny left soon after that, and headed for the lake.

"Rose?" came a voice from behind her. Ginny quickly wiped away her tear and put of a fake smile before turning.

"Yes Harry?"

Harry didn't respond verbally. Instead he walked foreword, and pulled her into a hug. She resisted at first, but then gave up and cried on his shoulder.

"I didn't mean any of those things, Ginny. I'm sorry. I didn't. When Sally said it looked like you were going to play a big part in this, I just didn't want you to get hurt. I thought if I could make you mad at me, you wouldn't help. I- I was trying to protect you."

Ginny only leaned in closer and cried harder. Harry comforted her as best as he could. He felt something very new in his chest as a result of holding her.

'_Normal.'_ A voice in his head said. _'Completely normal. That just happens to guys when girls are too close.'_

'But would it happen if you were holding Hermione?' another voice asked.

_'Yes,'_ he told that voice firmly.

Ginny's sobbing was starting to fade. _'I'm such an idiot. She finally gets some confidence and then I go and shot it all down. She could be weeks in recovering from this._

Ginny's crying stopped, but Harry held her still. _'She needs the comfort.' _ The first voice rationalized. Somehow, he thought he heard the other voice laughing but he shoved it into the back of his head.

A tabby cat turned and headed back to the castle. Started indeed.


	17. The Broken Stone

Chapter 17

The Broken Stone

At tryouts the next afternoon Harry tried to put everything out of his mind and concentrate on the game. Beside him stood Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch. They watched every single second year tried out for the team. None of them were very good. 

Ginny stood staring off into space. She didn't hear when McGonagall called her. Harry shook her arm, his eyes apologizing for the reason she was so distracted. "Show them what you did yesterday, Rose."

She nodded and took off in the air where the girls waited to try and score on her. Ginny did well, but Harry knew if she had been less distracted, she would have done better.

Only one other person tied with Ginny. A boy named Nick who was in Fred and George's year.

"What do you think Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"People will call it favoritism, but I have two points to bring to attention. Rose is, distracted this morning. That's my fault, and she hasn't had enough time to recover from yesterday yet. I practiced with her yesterday, and she is better then that."

Professor McGonagall nodded. She had watched them, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "Another point is if we take Nick on the team, in two years, _all of them but me will leave._ They are all in the same year, and that would leave me to train a whole new team. I don't know if that would be doable."

McGonagall's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that. You are right, on both points. And it isn't favoritism, so don't beat yourself up about it." 

She parted from their little huddle and they walked over to the other students. Most of the house was there to watch.

"I'd like to congratulate Miss. Weasley on making the team." A roar rang out, and Ginny grinned and blushed. She walked over and offered Nick her hand, who smiled at her and shook it. Fred and George then lifted her in the air, and proceeded to carry her all the way back to the common room for the celebration.

Harry thought it would be polite as Captain to not attend this celebration. So he sent Sally along with a message to Ginny of how proud he was, collected his sword from his dorm, and walked off to the clearing. Harry was alone as he lay down in the cool autumn grass.

_'It's been just over a week now, and so much has already happened. My life feels like some sort of soap opera. Children are disappearing. Another half blood this morning. I can't help them. The sword let Ginny hold it. The sword chose me. Why? And why then? The children...'_

A thought came to him, and he stood up to head for Dumbledore's office. He stood outside the gargoyle. It felt wrong to just figure out the password and go up there. Suddenly, it stepped aside for him. He supposed that meant Dumbledore knew he was there and wanted him to come up. 

The moving staircase carried him up, and he stepped off and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Harry."

Harry walked into Dumbledore's office. Fawlks sung a note to him, and he smiled at him. Then Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore. He made no move to sit down.

"Professor, the day we went down into the chamber, did a child go missing?"

Dumbledore looked startled by the question but nodded slowly. "Yes in fact. The first very strong one of all of them."

Harry reached over his shoulder and pulled out the sword, turning it while he studied it. Dumbledore's eyes went wide, then narrowed. "I'd like a list, of all the kids that went missing." Harry never looked away from the sword. 

Dumbledore slid a piece of parchment to the edge of his desk.

"Once again, Mr. Potter, you are a step ahead of me."

Harry shoved the sword back into the sheath, grabbed the parchment, and walked out of the room. Dumbledore sighed as he watched him go.

Harry didn't go back to the clearing. He instead stopped by the lake. He read the names, the ages, the dates they had gone missing, the places, and then the date when the name had been crossed off. There was only one or days between the first few, but on the day he had claimed the sword, the boy Nathan had lasted a full five days before his name had been scratched off.

Anger swelled in Harry's chest like fire. He grabbed the sword, and started practicing. He forgot the world around him, putting all of his anger into the sword. He worked harder at it then he ever had before, his anger driving him.

After twenty minutes of constant motion, Harry began to speak. "You will be defeated Voldemort. You will not be allowed to return. I will stop you." Suddenly, hitting air wasn't enough. Without realizing what he was doing, he plunged the sword down in a very large rock right to the hilt. It hardly made a sound, and Harry suddenly stopped.

The anger was not gone, but it had subsided to a tiny light inside him, rather then the engulfing flame it had been. Only then did Harry realize he had a very large audience. 

The students and staff alike stared at him with a mixture of fear, admiration, and amazement. Harry hastily pulled the sword out of the stone. The rock split right down the middle and fell apart in two pieces.

"If I had realized all of you were there," Harry said lifting the sword to study the blade, "I would have stopped." Nobody responded.

The blade didn't have a scratch. He touch the tip, then jerked his finger back and sucked on it where it was cut. "It didn't even dull it," he muttered. Bending down, he picked up a stone the size of his hand. Holding above the blade edge, he dropped it. It didn't even jerk the sword, and it landed on the ground in two pieces.

Harry shook his head. He walked to the rock that had split. With and effort because it was so huge, he turned it so that the flat side of one half faced him. His back was to the people that still watched him. Using the sword, he carved on the stone.

He turned to the other stone, and carved something there too. Then his sheathed the sword, and walked away, the crowd parting to let him pass.

Ginny was the first one to leave the crowd and walk up to the halved stones to read what it said.

In memory of

John age five

Sarah age six

Margaret age seven

Isaac age five

Wendy age four

Linda age six

Randy age five

Kara age two

Nathan age seven

Jamie age four

David age five

My Promise

You will pay.

Lord Voldemort.

I swear to it if I have to hunt you until my dying day,

and curse you with my last breath.

You will pay.

Harry James Potter

Bellow his name was a lightning bolt, and it glowed. It glowed a scarlet red. She gestured for the others to come over. It's glowing didn't fade, and Ginny wondered if it ever would.

The others came up behind her. Even Malfoy was silent. Snape read the words quickly and then stared at the lightning bolt. Hermione turned and cried on Ron's chest.

"Two, Ron! The one was only two years old! She was a baby, and she's dead."

Ginny fell to her knees, and prayed. She begged with whatever was out there, that everything would turn out alright. She didn't realize it was dark now. She didn't notice most people left, others came out, wanting to see what everybody was talking about, and then left too. Soon it was only her and one other person.

"It will turn out alright." A voice said awkwardly behind her.

Ginny recognized the voice and was too upset to be surprised. "Nothing will bring these children back from the dead, Professor Snape," Ginny said quietly.

"Potter will get him. He always does. This time won't be different. It will be alright in the end."

"Will it end, Professor? Will Harry ever really kill him? Will we spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders? Not knowing who to trust, not knowing who is watching, what their motives are, will it be like that forever?"

"No." She felt his hand on her shoulder. "It won't."

"I wish I could believe you, Professor, I really do. I'm losing my hope."

"No," he said sternly. "That is your greatest weapon against him. Lose it, and you've lost."

Ginny stood and faced him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Thank you."

"Miss. Weasley, if you ever say-"

"Don't worry," she interrupted him with a sad smile. "I won't tell anybody that you aren't a heartless bastard. Keep up your act. But beating other people away, won't bring her back." She turned and started to walk away, then stopped and turned.

"Look where you're standing."

Snape looked down at the Phoenix Flower in the moonlight. "How... Never mind, I don't want to know how."

"I'm observant, Professor. Every potion that uses it, we use a substitute, and if there is no substitute, we skip the potion. I figured out anything that meant that much to you would have to do with her." She turned again, and didn't stop this time.

Nobody spoke to Harry the next morning. All laughter in the halls was absent, and when he was around people hushed their voice. As he walked into Divination, he didn't thing anything that happened would make him feel any worse. 

Professor Trelawney emerged from the depths of her room, bringing with her the smell of the perfume that thankfully wasn't burning quite yet. It wasn't cold enough for a fire. 

She sat by her crystal ball, gazing into it. "Your arrival to my class room seems to have brought a number of images. I see, a boy, no a man. He holds a sword. There are more figures behind him, smaller, younger. Children. He is protecting them. He is bleeding. I think he is dying. Ahh, the image is gone."

Her large eyes turned up to Harry. "That man was you, dear."

Harry stood up, and the class watched with held breath. Not even the girls looked eager to hear Professor Trelawney continue. "Those children," he said in a voice that made her eyes go wider yet, "are dead. No matter how I protect them, they are dead. And I can't protect the ones that are alive, because if I leave here, then the students may start disappearing."

He shut his eyes and clamped his mouth shut, trying to put a hold on the anger. The class gasped as the air before him glowed suddenly scarlet and the sword appeared floating in the air. Harry opened his eyes and looked at it.

"You," he said to the sword "are just full of surprises. Are you going to start appearing every time I get angry?"

Something spoke in the minds of every person present. There was no sound, because there was no voice, only words.

_'Anger leads to hate. You, Harry Potter, are not capable of hating. That anger will destroy you, if it is not let out.'_

Harry looked at the sword. He reached out and grabbed it, swinging it into place on his back. He opened the window beside him and climbed up on the sill.

"Harry don't!" Ron cried, but Harry jumped. Ron rushed to the window to see him only a few feet below. The rest of the class, including the Professor, crowded around the window.

"I don't think I'll be attending this class anymore." With that he dropped to the edge of the tower roof, hanging by one arm. Swinging, he jumped over to a section of roof that had a ledge across it which was about four inches thick. He stood on that ledge and unsheathed the sword.

"He isn't," Dean said beside Ron.

"He is," Ron answered. Harry began stabbing and slashing at the air. Beating at it as though it had done something wrong. They gasped as he jumped for a turn, and as he backed up to the very edge. Then he did a running charge with a flip, and landed with only one foot, hanging half off the building.

Ron let out a sigh as he set down the other foot and sheathed the sword. Harry sat down cross legged on the ledge, staring out at the forest, lost in his own thoughts.

__

(A/N: Okay, my new Full Moon rule is in effect, though this is coming a few hours early because I may not get a chance to post tomorrow, and better early then late. I hope you all forgive me for the deaths in here. Please do. The I'll be able to forgive myself. Review, give me advice. Oh, and a special not to "Samanthe Que ()" THIS IS THE FORTH YEAR!!! Nothing that happens in the real forth book applies here!!!!!!!! I AM SO TIRED OF REMINDING PEOPLE! I started this BEFORE THE FORTH BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry.)


	18. Clean Up Division

Chapter 18

Clean Up Division

For the next week, Harry became more like himself, and less distracted. On Thursday night Dumbledore handed him a piece of parchment. Harry showed it to nobody, but closed his eyes, and the sword appeared in front of him. He left the common room, and returned fifteen minutes later, not saying a word to anybody, and went to his dorm. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and many others in the common room left to go see the stone. The one with names now read;

In memory of

John age five

Sarah age six

Margaret age seven

Isaac age five

Wendy age four

Linda age six

Randy age five

Kara age two

Nathan age seven

Jamie age four

David age five

Crystal age three

The lightning bolt, which during the week had become a dull red, glowed bright once more. Ginny noticed with surprise that when she neared the lightning bolt, her necklace would glow.

Once again, nobody was sure how to act the next morning, but Harry acted normal, and the rest followed his lead. Only when the sword appeared did they leave him alone for the rest of the evening.

In this way, the weeks started to pass. September became October, and Halloween was approaching. The children that went missing became older, and they were now home-schooled half bloods. 

Harry pushed his food around his plate, his mind focused on other things and his appetite gone completely. Heather sat with the Dream Team, clearly trying to cheer Harry up. "I wish Sally were here," he said suddenly.

"Asss you wish," came a voice. Sally slithered up his leg onto the table. 

"How do you keep doing that?"

Sally didn't answer at first. "Well, I wasssn't going to tell you, but I guessssss you need to know. The reassson the Professssssors make you all get petsss, isss in hopesss that you will form a familiar bond with them. Doesssn't happen all the time, but it doesss happen. We have one. I draw very ssslightly off of your magical energy, and that energy will keep me alive until you die, unlessssss I'm murdered. In timesss of crisssisss, you can draw off of my magical energy, which won't do you much, but if you're near death, it ssseemsss to keep you alive. Anyway, when ever you need me, I know, and vissse versssa."

Ginny looked at Harry surprised. He looked right back at her. "What did she say?" Hermione asked.

"She said that she and Harry have a familiar bonding."

Ron lifted his eyebrows. "Wow, that's something new."

"That'sss not all, Rossse." Ginny looked at her. "I have one with you too."

Ginny fell off of her chair, gaining her looks from around the room. "You what?!" Dumbledore watched through his half-moon glasses, his eyes hiding his thoughts.

"I'm bonded to both of you. I will know when you are in trouble too."

"Well, who's energy are you drawing off of? Mine or his?"

She didn't notice as Dumbledore and McGonagall both set down their glasses to listen closer.

"I ssseem to go back and forth. I draw from the one who isss able to ssspare the energy at the moment. Lately, it hasss been you Ginny. But the bond began with Harry, ssso if you outlive him, I mossst likely will not."

Heather glanced over at Dumbledore, who met her gaze. She pointedly looked at Harry, then Ginny, grinned, and looked back at Dumbledore. He nodded and returned with a small smile of his own.

Heather knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door. The voices inside were silent suddenly, and the door opened. Heather found herself looking into a pair of bright blue eyes, that twinkled when they saw her.

"Come in, Heather. I suppose you have figured it out, you always were very clever. That's one thing you couldn't beat out of her," he said looking down at the dog that was following Heather into the room.

Sirius transformed, and gave a slight bow. "I assure you, Professor, that I didn't _beat_ anything out of her. I simply had the advantage that she would have jumped of a cliff if I told her I fancied seeing her fly."

Heather turned a interesting shade of red, but ignored the comment. "So, tell me what you're doing, and then let me tell you what you're doing wrong." She turned to sit in a chair by the fire, but Sirius sneaked behind her and sat in it first. She didn't see him, and fell into his lap. "Padfoot!" she exclaimed jumping up again, but he caught her and pulled her back down. The shade of her face became slightly more interesting, but as he held her on his lap, she crossed her arms and scowled.

Dumbledore and McGonagall took seats across from them. McGonagall with thinned lips, and Dumbledore with a smile. "So," Heather said, jumping right in. "I've figured out what you're doing. I don't suppose you are going to tell me _why_ are you?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Very sorry, but I can not. I would still greatly appreciate your help. I have been considering something that you, ah, requested, as a student."

Heather rolled her eyes. "That is so not fair. Well, you old people will just mess it up, so can we do it?"

Dumbledore smiled. "It's all yours."

The Dream Team sat in the Forth Year boys dorm room. It was cold out, so Harry had taken to practicing his sword in the dorm. Hermione knew that Ginny wanted to watch him, so she made Ron stay too. As she wasn't really very interested in watching him, she talked to Ron.

"Our Hogsmeade trip is on Halloween. We all have to do our Christmas shopping."

Ron's ears turned red. "Yes, well, most of mine is done."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "Wow, Ron, I'm impressed."

"There's only one person left, and I don't know what to get her."

"Her? Who is it?" Harry asked, stopping in mid-leap.

Ron's ears went a shade darker. "I- I c-can't tell you." He looked down. "I was wondering if you would help me find her a present, Booky."

Ginny saw the hurt that flashed across Hermione's face, but she hid it quickly.

"I'd be glad to help, Pawn."

Harry leaned down to whisper in Ginny's ear, which made her heart leap. "But I was so sure he liked Booky."

Ginny nodded, watching her older brother carefully. "I want to get her something that lets her know how important she is to me." Ron said quickly. 

"Look at Booky's eyes," Ginny whispered. "She's going to cry."

"She's really good at hiding it."

"She's Hermione."

"Good point." Harry sighed. "This isn't good is it?"

"It certainly doesn't look good."

That evening as they headed for the great hall, Ginny pulled Hermione aside.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked her quietly. Harry glanced back at them, then drug Ron far away and out of ear shot. 

"What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. Ron and his new fling. Don't pretend that you are okay with it. We saw your eyes. We know."

"I'm fine," Hermione said, and when Ginny narrowed her eyes she continued. "Really, I'm okay. You saw my eyes, did you see his? Did you see the way they lit up when he started talking about surprising her on Christmas morning? He's happy, and therefore, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, maybe not, but I'll pull though."

"And I'm always only down one flight of stairs."

Hermione smiled gratefully, and led them to catch up with the boys. 

As the Dream Team entered the great hall, Dumbledore intercepted them at the door. Harry groaned as he held out a piece of paper.

"He's not very picky anymore, Mr. Potter. This was a pure blood."

Harry took the paper and read the name. He shook his head, and the air in front of him glowed scarlet. He snatched the sword out of mid-air, and turned on his heel, walking past some adults who stared at him with open mouths.

Ginny sat down with Hermione and Ron, but watched as the unknown adults walked over to Dumbledore. The room hushed to hear what they said.

"Hello, Mr. Dumbledore, we are the representatives from the Ministry; Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; Clean Up Division that you requested."

Dumbledore sighed. "I believe out ticket to the chamber where the Basilisk resides just walked out."

"Was that Mr. Potter, sir?" a man behind the first said. "Was it really?"

"Yes, it was. He is slightly indisposed at the moment, I'm terribly sorry, but we have no way of getting down there."

"Professor," Ginny said, standing. They all turned to look at her, and she blushed. "I may be able to help. Sally can get down there, but she won't go without me or Harry. I- I could go with you."

"Miss. Weasley, that idea did not cross my wandering mind. If you would collect Miss. Sally, we would be honored to have your help."

"She'll meet us there, she knows I need her." She walked past them and bravely led the way, while her stomach tide it's self in knots. She hadn't been down in the chamber without Harry yet, and she wasn't sure if she could handle it. 

Sally intercepted them half way, making the Ministry representatives gasp. Sally slid up Ginny's leg, around her waist, up her arm, and onto her neck. She licked her cheek, and started hissing in her ear.

Ginny continued walking as though this was an everyday thing (and it was). The Ministry representatives shut their hanging mouths and followed her. Ginny giggled, Sally was making her laugh to calm her nerves.

When they reached the bathroom, however, Sally's cheering went out the window. Ginny's heart beat in her ears, as they all piled into the bathroom. The toilets had been moved out since, as nobody cared to use this as a real bathroom anymore. 

They suddenly heard running footsteps and the door banged open. Harry stood there, not even panting from his mad dash from the great hall to the third floor. 

_'Those practices are paying off.'_

He looked at Ginny, and spoke in Parseltongue. "Ron and Hermione told me what you did. I ran as fast as I could. I'm sure you could handle going down there yourself, but I didn't want to take any chances. Sal, I know you hate it down there, so you don't need to come."

Sally slid off onto the floor and out the door. Ginny smiled at him. "Harry, you are the most caring person I know."

Harry nodded his head in a very slight bow, and spoke in English again. "Anything for you, my lovely Rose. I live to please you."

Ginny giggled and Harry turned to the sink. "Open," he hissed, and the sink fell away. "This way please," he said to the Ministry representatives, crawling into the pipe.

Ginny followed right behind him, and the six representatives with Dumbledore behind her. Harry started down the chamber, taking Ginny's hand. The other's followed, Dumbledore smiling at the pair of them. 

When they reached the Basilisk, Ginny and Harry sat near the wall talking and let them do their work. Harry knew that the new comers continued to look over at him. They couldn't believe that he had killed this thing, and with the sword that he was currently carrying.

Their clean up took surprisingly a short amount of time, and they were soon walking back to the stairs.

"Well Rose, what are we going to do with this place now? Nobody else can get down here, so that does sort of make it ours."

"May I make a suggestion?" Dumbledore asked. "Right now, Heather is making a speech about the dance that she is holding this year. She finally convinced Minerva, but she must do it herself. This would make a very nice atmosphere for a Halloween dance. And I do believe once there has been happiness down here, it will lose some of it's gloom."

Harry looked at Ginny, who was already contemplating what would go where. They smiled, and nodded.


	19. Ginny's Confession and Heather's Story

Chapter 19

Ginny's Confession and Heather's Story

Harry and Ginny made the suggestion of using the chamber to Heather, who loved the idea. Sally had been recruited to help her prepare it. When Heather didn't have a class, she could go down and clean the rooms with Sally, even when Harry was in class and couldn't open it for her.

This surprised Harry, as Sally had refused to go down there without Ginny or Harry. "I trussst Heather. I trussst Sssirisss too, and I feel sssafe with them," she replied when Harry questioned it.

What surprised Harry is that the children had stopped. It put him in a much better mood, carving their names in the rock (now rocks, he had split another when he ran out of room) was the most heart wrenching thing he had ever done.

He brought it up one evening while he and Ginny were working in the chamber. Heather was attending a staff meeting, Sirius was presumably with her in dog form, and Hermione was helping Ron study for the Charms test they had coming up.

"I wonder if Voldemort just gave up," Harry said.

Ginny suddenly stopped scrubbing the floor and looked up, regret etched on her face. "What is it?" he asked.

She looked down at her feet. "I hated seeing you so sad. So one afternoon when Dumbledore was bring you a new name, I told him I'd take it to you. I said that I would be able to keep you from getting upset. He seemed to think that was a good idea, and gave it to me, and he has since. I really was going to tell you, but you were finally happy again, and I couldn't do it. So I took the sword from your room, and carved the names for you. I'm really sorry. I just couldn't bring it up, not when you back to normal. Please don't be mad at me."

She cringed, waiting for him to yell at her. Surprising her, he did nothing of the sort. "You carved the names?" was all he asked.

She looked up at him. "Yes. You're not mad?"

He shook his head. "The sword let you use it? It let you take it from my dorm?"

Her eyes grew wide. "It did! I forgot, nobody could touch it! Why did it let me, because it knew I would give it back?"

"Maybe," he said, but he didn't look convinced. '_Why,'_ the little voice said. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The sword appeared in front of him, and he pulled it out of the air. "Why do you let Ginny use you?" he asked. The sword didn't reply. He glared at it. "Fine, keep you're secrets."

"Does it understand you?" Ginny asked. "I mean, I know Ron said it 'talked', but I'm having a hard time believing it."

_'There are reasons.'_

Ginny jumped at the 'voice' in her head, and took a step back.

"It's not a living thing," Harry said. "Just like the animals that we transfigure aren't really 'living'. Man can not create life, so it's not really a living thing, just a thinking one. Magically thinking. It has no emotions, no sense of time, just thoughts. At least that's what I get out of it. It only responds when it wants to." He looked up at her. "And thank you, once again you take it upon yourself to handle my problems. I would like to go see the stones though."

They left the chamber and walked out to the stones. The one with the message came first, and then the two with names on it. Most Harry recognized carving.

In memory of

John age five

Sarah age six

Margaret age seven

Isaac age five

Wendy age four

Linda age six

Randy age five

Kara age two

Nathan age seven

Jamie age four

David age five

Crystal age three

Mary age five

Brian age eight

Michael age nine

Diana age eight

Victor age twelve

William age ten

Carl age eleven

Danny age twelve

Then, there were some that he didn't recognize.

Nick age nine

Samantha age ten

Cindy age eight

Ashley age twelve

"Two to twelve. He is going to pay," Ginny whispered. 

Harry looked at her, then unsheathed the sword and handed it to her. "Sign it."

"What?"

"Sign the stone. Under the lightning bolt, sign it."

Slowly, she took the sword from him and wrote underneath his lightning bolt.

My Promise

You will pay.

Lord Voldemort.

I swear to it if I have to hunt you until my dying day,

and curse you with my last breath.

You will pay.

Harry James Potter

Ginny Amber Weasley

"Carve something," he said. "Something like the lightning bolt that defines you."

Thinking for a moment, she bent down closer to the stone and carved very slowly. When she backed away, a rose was etched below her name, and it glowed gold.

"What makes them glow?" she asked.

_'The anger.'_

Harry nodded. "It's right. When I get angry at Voldemort, it glows brighter. Otherwise, it's just dull."

She nodded. "I'd noticed, but anger is that powerful? It's a scary thought. Powerful enough to make stone glow."

_'Anger is what makes evil. Voldemort is evil. He is consumed by anger. Harry Potter could become the same, but love will counter that anger and release it.'_

With that little thought in mind, they started to walk up to the castle. "Thank you again Rose. You're the best friend I could ask for."

Ginny blushed slightly. "That's not true."

"It is. You work so hard at it, and I don't really understand why." Their walk shifted, and they were going around the lake instead of back to the school. 

"Well, for three years, I had wanted to be a part of your group, and now that I am, I guess I feel that I better do my part."

"Why did you want to be in out group so much? All we ever did was get into trouble."

"There were a number of reasons. You were always there for each other, and I had never had anything like that. In my first year, I confided only in Tom, and in my second, all I did was hate myself. I had never had a real friend. You guys were always happy, while I was never happy. You went on all kinds of adventures. But the biggest reason, I guess," she turned a deep crimson, "was, as I'm sure you noticed, that I had a huge crush on you."

Harry laughed slightly, not enough to hurt her feelings, but good-naturedly. "It was hard not to notice. You hardly ever spoke in front of me, your face was always red, and I won't bring up Valentines day."

"I didn't send you that," she said suddenly. "Liz did. I was crying because you had the diary. That was the first time I had seen you with it. Trust me, my poetry is better then that. And it really wasn't my fault, I had a reason for hero-worshipping you."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I've never told anybody, but you've saved my life twice, Harry."

"What?" he asked looking over at her, but she only looked ahead, avoiding his eyes.

"When mom was pregnant with me, Voldemort was a his height. Mom and Dad didn't want to bring another child into that horrible time, so mom was going to have an abortion. She was so upset, she wanted one more chance to have a girl. She was supposed to go to the hospital on November first, but the night before, you defeated him, and mom changed her mind. I had a crush on you since I was three years old, when mom told me what happened. Imagine the person to whom you owe your very existence showing up in your kitchen one day. I didn't know how to act, or what to say." She shook her head. "My whole life I had wanted to get to know the real you, and then you were right there, and all I could do was stick my elbow in a butter dish."

"You should have told me," he said quietly after a long period of silence.

"I just did. Tom knew, I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"He didn't because it has to do with him being defeated. That was a touchy subject with him."

Ginny laughed, and they found themselves approaching the stone, from the other side. They stopped for a moment to look at it. With the sun setting behind it, and the surrounding Phoenix flower making the red and gold of the rose and lightning bolt stand out, it was quite a sight, but there was a sad feel to the area. A pain that went back a few years, as if more dead had been mourned in that very spot.

"Who?" Harry asked, not realizing he was speaking out loud, as these thoughts ran through his head.

The same thoughts must have gone through Ginny's too. "Lily. This is where Professor Snape mourned her. Phoenix flower means something about her to him, and this is probably where he came when she died. You know, I think he blames himself for her death. Like if he had done something different, he thinks she would be alive."

"Probably wishes he had killed Sirius during school."

Ginny shook her head. "No, I have a hunch that he was a spy for Dumbledore. He probably feels if he had figured out that Peter was the traitor, then everything would be different."

"Sirius is the same way. They have a lot in common. Actually, I hadn't thought about that. Snape has to know Sirius is here, he knows he can turn into a dog. Maybe they settled their differences?"

"Maybe, but more likely they are pretending that the other doesn't exist."

Sirius and Heather walked back from the staff meeting. Or rather, Heather walked and Sirius trotted along beside her. It had been a very depressing meeting, mostly on the subject of Voldemort. It brought back many bad memories for both of them. They entered Heather's sleeping quarters with heavy hearts, shutting the door.

Heather fell on her bed with a heavy sigh. Sirius sat down in a chair, a polite distance away. It was one thing to tease in front of the Professors, but everything took on a whole knew meaning when they were alone. Besides, he wasn't it to mood to tease.

He glanced at Heather who stared at the ceiling without speaking. _'God, how old was she? Fifteen? I never thought about it, she always seemed to be our age. She was fifteen, and lost every friend she had. James and Lily dead, Peter 'dead', me in prison, and Remus left to deal with the loss on his own, and he had his own problems. What happened to her?'_

"Books?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah?" she looked up surprised at the use of her childhood nickname. It didn't fit her anymore, so she rarely used it.

"After everything happened, what happened to you? Dumbledore didn't tell me, but it must have been horrible."

She closed her eyes in pain, remembering the year that Lily had died. "I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, no it's okay. It's time I talk about it anyway. It was hard, everybody was so _happy_. Voldemort was gone, it was over. Then they would see my face, and it would get real quiet. Harry was all I could think about. Four more months and I would have been sixteen. I could have quit school and taken care of him, and I would have in a heart beat, and Dumbledore probably would have let me. He might have even had me stay at the school. But he went to _Petunia_. Sirius, she's horrible, and her husband is worse. Four months! Then the thing with Peter, and you, and I lost it completely. I would go shouting down the halls that you were innocent. I believe I went slightly insane. I would talk about you getting proved innocent, and adopting Harry, and moving to the countryside where I would join you when I got out of school." She laughed slightly. 

"Well, after that wore off, I hated myself for ever trusting you. I couldn't blame you, because I knew it wasn't you. So I blamed myself for everything. Then one night at dinner, everybody was laughing, and I just didn't have any reason to go on. I took out my wand, stood up on the table and pointed it at my head. The whole room went quiet really fast. Dumbledore stood, and told me that I had to live so somebody could tell Harry what his mother was like. After that, I spent a month in the hospital and three months after that I had to be in adult supervision at all times, including sleep. I lived in my own little hell. So one day, in my sixth year, I packed and left. My parents didn't really notice. I moved, and never told the teachers where I was going. I finished school in California, and took up a job there. I wrote to Dumbledore telling him I was in America and I would be back in ten years to see Harry.

"I blocked out this place completely, and missed my ten year deadline. I couldn't bring myself to face the memories. Then you got away. Did you know that's why Remus came? It was to protect Harry from you. Dumbledore figured if anybody could guess your movements it would be one of us.

"Remus wrote me at the end of the year and said he quit. I figured it was time for me to come see my godson. He _is_ my godson. Maybe not legally, but he _is._ I came during the summer, so I could face the memories and be here to greet Harry. Dumbledore asked me to stay and teach. I said yes, only because I thought Harry needed me, which he really doesn't, you know? He's so, I don't think there's even a word for it. When I'm near him and he's in one of those moods, I feel like he's a hundred years my senior. He's a naturally born leader."

"Just like James."

She nodded. "And just as caring as Lily. And then Ginny, I almost want to call her Flower. I have to look her straight in the face to see the difference. She even holds herself the same way."

"I've done the same to Harry. I want to call him Prongs, but then he looks at me, and the eyes give it away."

"It hurts to see both of them in him, but it feels good too. Sweet and sour."

"It hurts because it makes you miss them, but it feels good because it reminds you why you miss them," Sirius said quietly.

Heather nodded, squeezing her eyes shut, and letting a single tear leak out. Sirius hesitated, then moved over slowly and sat down beside her. Heather reached out and pulled him down beside her, and cried on his chest.

"I miss them so much, Sirius."

"I do too," he said in a strangled voice, his eyes shut tight as he stroked Heather's blond hair to comfort her. They laid together for a very long time and eventually they both fell asleep.

Ginny peaked in Heather's door, and clamped her mouth on a giggle. "I think we better leave them alone," she whispered.

"Let me see." Harry looked in and grinned. He shut the door very quietly. He and Ginny walked away, discussing what this new development in the soap opera of Hogwarts could mean.

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(A/N: Okay, I got about five different E-mails from people who said that they loved my story and couldn't wait for me to continue. This made me feel so special and loved that I HAD to get more chapters out. I still promise to post every full moon, but there should be lots of chapters in between! Thank you everybody who said they liked it!)


	20. Hogsmeade

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(A/N: To all you H/G shippers, there should be some_ fluff here for you. And I love you guys, you are so good to me!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for all the reviews.)_

Chapter 20

Hogsmeade

The preparations for the dance had been taken over completely by Heather and Sirius, claiming that Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione had to be surprised like everybody else. A new charm had been put on the pipe, so that people could slide down without ruining their costumes. 

Costumes. A masquerade ball was what Heather had turned it into. Harry pointed out brightly that meant that Sirius could go if he was careful. He and Ginny shared a grin when Heather started making suggestions on what he could come as. Masquerades were slightly different in the magical world, as you didn't always have to wear a mask to hide your face.

The students were supposed to keep their costumes a secret from each other, and Harry was doing a very good job at it, as _he_ didn't even know what he was going to be. 

When he told Sirius his problem, his godfather gave him some fatherly advice. "Go as you dad, it would be really easy." 

Then Heather, whom Harry was beginning to think of as his godmother, gave him some real advice. "You could go as Godric Gryffindor. You even have the sword."

Godric had straight black hair that laid flat on his head, and green eyes that were more gold then green. Heather promised to help him on the hair and eyes, and Sirius suggested a antique shop in Hogsmeade where he could get an antique robe.

"I'm helping Ginny with her costume too, you know," Heather said.

"No, I didn't know. What's she going as?"

"Now I can't tell you that!"

"Please?"

"No!"

The weekend of Halloween approached quickly with no small amount of anticipation. Ginny was looking foreword to her first Hogsmeade visit, and Harry couldn't wait to get out of the castle for a little while. 

The disappearing children had not stopped, but they had slowed down considerably. Still, many of the students and some of the staff treated him like an eggshell about to crack, and it would do him good to have a day out with his friends who would go to any extent _not_ to treat him like that.

When Halloween did arrive, it started early for all of them. Fred and George made it certain that nobody slept in past six. Harry sat beside Ron with Sally of his neck, eating his breakfast and pushing all thoughts besides having a good time out of his mind. 

Ginny walked into the room, but instead of heading toward them, she went to the staff table. Harry watched in surprise as she approached Dumbledore and blushed. 

Ginny blushed and tried to calm her breathing. Talking to adults made her nervous. _'He won't bite your head off,' _she reminded herself.

Dumbledore looked up at her. "Good morning, Miss. Weasley." The rest of the staff turned to look at her, and she blushed deeper.

"Good morning, Professor."

"And how may I help you?"

Ginny took a deep breath. "Professor, Harry deserves a day off, and I was hoping that if anything happened today, you would wait to tell him about it until tomorrow," she said quickly, and then thought to herself the words she couldn't say. _'Or in other words, I'm afraid that if he doesn't have some fun, I might lose the Harry I'm in love with.'_

It was as if Dumbledore had read this in her eyes when he smiled. "Have no fear, Miss. Weasley. I promise not to interrupt Mr. Potter's fun. He told me that you had not been giving him the names, and I think that was a very nice thing to do for him, but he wants to relieve you of that burden. I quote, "She already has enough of my problems, I don't want to give her that one too." So from now on, I will be bringing news to Harry again."

Ginny smiled in spite of herself at that and nodded. "Thank you Professor."

"You are very welcome Miss. Weasley. Do have a good time, and attempt to make Harry have one as well." She nodded once more, then turned and walked in the other direction, ignoring the teachers' eyes that followed her.

Ginny took her seat across from Harry and next to Hermione. "What were you talking to Dumbledore about?" Harry asked.

Ginny blushed again. "N-nothing important," she stuttered.

Sally snorted. "Nothing important my tail," she hissed. "She wasss making sssure that the old man wouldn't interrupt your fun with any reportsss of death."

Ginny was surprised to see Harry blush and look down at his plate. He spoke in Parseltongue. "Thank you."

"Um, no problem."

"So, Rose," Hermione cut in. "Looking forward to your first Hogsmeade trip?"

"I guess so," Ginny responded, startled by the sudden change of subject.

"Hermione doesn't like you talking in a language she doesn't understand," Ron explained. "It upsets her that she doesn't know something."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is, Books, and that's okay," he said in a way that made Ginny's jaw drop.

At the use of her nickname, and Ron's tone of voice, Hermione found herself unable to make a retort. "I- it- I-," she gave up and sighed. "I guess you're right, I just don't like not being able to know what's going on." She quickly gave Ron a studying look as though she was expecting him to gloat. Instead he gave her a smile and returned to his food.

Ginny looked at Harry, and he looked back, both confused. Was Ron doing that to make sure Hermione would help him? Sally started laughing. "Oh, that isss ssso pricelessss."

"What?" Harry asked.

"I can not tell you, it isss not fair."

Despite how Ginny and Harry tried, they weren't able to get a word out of her on the subject.

They arrived in Hogsmeade a while later, and pulled their cloaks tighter at the cool chill. "Hermione, will you help me now?" Ron asked pleadingly. Ginny wasn't surprised Hermione said yes, she didn't think she would be able to say no if he looked at her that way.

"We'll meet you guys at the Shack in about three hours, okay?" Ron didn't wait for an answer, but grabbed Hermione's arm and drug her off.

"Three hours?" 

"Well, I want to make sure I find the right thing."

"But _three hours_? I don't want to take that long."

Ron stopped walking and turned to look at her. His eyes were hurt and he frowned. "If you don't want to-"

"No, no, I want to help. Let's go."

They were in and out of four stores, and neither had seen anything that they liked. They had already used and hour of their time, when Ron suggested a jewelry store.

"That place is expensive, Ron."

"Well, I've been saving up for this, I don't mind spending money. It's not like there's really anything that I need to buy with it."

Hermione shrugged. "If you're sure." 

A small bell chimed as they entered the store. The person working at the moment was busy with another couple and mouthed a 'please wait' to them as she patiently showed the woman almost every ring in the store. 

Ron and Hermione began to look around when they came on a jewelry display that was animal based. "Her favorite is the owl," Ron muttered, probably not aware that he had spoken aloud.

Hermione felt another pang of jealousy. _'He has no idea that's my favorite too.'_

They bent over the glass, peering in at all the rings and necklaces that held various animals and stones. Hermione's eyes landed on a pair of earrings. They were silver owls, with sapphire eyes that seemed to have a glint of intelligence in them. _'And maybe they do. Wouldn't surprise me. The sapphire is even my birth stone.'_

"Perfect!" Ron exclaimed.

The lady had left the other couple and hurried over to them. "Which one?" she asked pleasantly.

"The owl earrings."

Hermione closed her eyes, clamping her mouth so she didn't say anything embarrassing. "Are you sure the lucky lady's ears are pierced?" the lady asked, with a quick glance at Hermione's unpierced ears. _'She thinks it's me, little does she know.'_

"Oh," Ron stopped, he hadn't thought about that.

"Even though mine aren't, I'd get them done for those," Hermione muttered under her breath. Ron didn't seem to hear her.

"Yes, I think they are."

The lady smiled. "Just in case, I'll throw in a free piercing." 

Ron nodded. "Thank you."

"I'm waiting outside," Hermione said shortly, turning and walking out. She didn't want to know how much it cost. She didn't want to know how much Ron was willing to spend on a different girl. She didn't want to know who that girl was.

Hermione fell down on a bench. She pulled her cloak tight against the chill, and closed in on herself. _'Get over it. Since when has the know-it-all had a problem with boys?'_

'Well what if I'm tired of being a know-it-all? What if Hermione Granger does care about something more then school work? What if she has feelings too?'

'Okay, so I have feelings. Naturally, they are crushed. So what do I do about it? I can't make myself not like him, I love him with all that I am.'

'So are you willing to wait? This girl can't last forever. Are you willing to wait around until it's over, and hope he notices you then?'

Before Hermione could answer herself however, Ron walked out. He flashed her a grin that held all his thanks. "Thank you so much, Books," his words echoing his smile. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"It was nothing," she answered, looking to the side so he couldn't see her eyes.

"No, I'll take you to lunch for helping me."

"Ron, you don't hav-" he held up a hand to stop her.

"Yes I do, now let's find a restaurant."

A snake, smiling to herself, started off in a different direction. _'Don't worry, Books, your time will come.'_

Ginny and Harry watched Ron drag Hermione away. "Three hours?" Harry asked.

"If he wasn't in love with somebody else, I'd say it was an excuse to spend time with her," she answered.

After Harry made a quick stop at the store Sirius had suggested (finding the perfect robe, red with a golden collar and edge) he turned to Ginny

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"The art gallery," she said immediately. "Mom said there was one here that was very good."

"I think it's down this way, but I haven't been there before."

After some searching, they found the gallery. Harry had never been in a magical art gallery, and realized that the paintings would move and possible so would the statues. This realization was confirmed when a clay cat with a mouse sitting on it's tail walked past them. 

"The paintings usually stay in their own frames here," Ginny said. "So you don't come across an empty frame."

They found an entire floor dedicated to paintings of Hogwarts or something to do with it.

"Look, this one is of the founders. It's called, Helga's Last Act. Wow that's old," she said reading the year. "What do you think is happening?"

"She looks like she's speaking. They're in the great hall. Look at that, all her magic is going into whatever it is she's saying." Harry studied the painting a while longer, but Ginny moved on.

"Oh my goodness, Harry come see this." Harry walked over, and Ginny read the explanation aloud. "This is a picture of a painting by Mr. James Potter. It was sent asking if we would consider hanging it in our gallery. We gave him a strong yes, but he passed away before he was able to send it to us. His home and the school were searched for the painting, wishing to hang it for him, but it was never found."

Harry examined the picture closely. The painting, as far as he could tell, was very good. It held the castle on the grounds, the lake, and the edge of the forest, in front of a full moon. There were no people in site, unless they were too small for Harry to see.

"I wonder were it is," he asked.

"Probably the same place where Sirius and Heather said he 'took' your mum. A room not on the map."

Harry had forgotten that fact, and mentally cursed himself for it. He was trying to memorize everything about his parents, and then he went off forgetting things. "I need a place to write it all down," he muttered.

Ginny gave a small smile. "I think this is enough for one day, let's go for lunch or something."

She led him away from the picture, and out of the gallery. They were across the street from a restaurant that Harry had never been to. "Let's go there," he said. "My treat."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. We could always freak them out by speaking in Parseltongue," he said as they crossed the road.

"Oh yeah, where's Sal?"

Harry looked puzzled for a moment. "She came down with us, she must be with Hermione and Ron." He still looked worried as they walked into the restaurant.

It turned out that they were not dressed for the restaurant, but as they were the only people there (and face it, he's Harry Potter) the manager didn't mind. They selected a booth and sat down. Harry still wore a troubled expression.

"If she needed you, you would know."

Harry looked surprised for a moment. "I guess your right. I forgot about that."

They ordered a light lunch, remembering the feast that would be there as soon as they returned. Sally made her arrival at mid-meal, causing the waiter much distress.

"I promise you, she won't hurt anything," Harry said going to grab her off the floor before the man squashed her. To emphasize the fact that he had it under control, he started to speak to her in Parseltongue, causing the waiter to stare at him but leave Sally alone.

"So where were you?"

"Following."

"Pawn and Books?"

"Yes."

"Did they find a gift?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, and now Ron is taking her to lunch to thank her."

"That's sweet of him," she observed. "Wait, that's not Ron."

"I do believe that Ron is," he paused for effect, "growing up."

Ginny gasped, throwing her hand to her forehead. "Say it isn't so, say it isn't so! Not my brother, he needs to stay younger then me forever."

"But Ginny, he's older then you."

"Only in years." Sally said something and they both cracked up. 

The manager watched from through the window in the kitchen, his wife and cook beside him. "Think it's a date?" he asked

"No, I don't. They are too relaxed. Dates at that age are nerve racking," she answered. "He is the real Harry Potter?"

"Who else could talk to a snake?"

"She can. Look at how they laugh together at nothing. She may not be able to speak to it, but she understands it."

"I believe it's name is Sally. Mr. Potter called her that anyway."

"Well," the woman observed with a smile, "what do you say we keep their visits here a secret. I have a feeling that poor boy gets more attention then he wants."

"Well he is The Boy Who Lived," her husband observed.

"And he is also a fourteen year-old boy who I pray has a life besides the headlines."

"Yes, well we'll keep it a secret. I owe it to his mother, if not for her, I would have failed the Charms test that one time."

His wife was no longer listening, however, she was leaving the kitchen to talk to the young pair.

"Hello, I'm the cook, the manager's wife, Mrs. Kimberly to you."

"Hello," Ginny responded shyly. Harry didn't reply.

"I just came out to tell you, that I understand what it must be like for you, Harry, and my husband and I are willing to keep any visits here of yours a secret. Granted, we can't keep other people out, business would be bad, but we won't make a point to tell people that you are here."

Harry eyes showed mild surprise, but he recovered quickly and smiled. "I can't begin to thank you, Mrs. Kimberly."

She brushed off his thanks with a wave of her hand. "Would you like to introduce me to the two beautiful ladies that accompany you?"

A grin spread across Harry's face. "Pull up a chair." She grabbed one from the other table and sat down at the edge of their booth. "Well, the one beautiful lady with me is Ginny Weasley, one of my best friends. This old hag is Sal, she understands English, but you don't want to talk to her, she's rather sarcastic and blunt."

Sally responded with a number of swear words. "I didn't know you even knew those words, Sally. That part about having a baboon butt was a nice touch." 

Ginny was hardly able to keep from exploding. Mrs. Kimberly snorted, and that was the last step for Ginny, who lost it completely. Her laughter was very contagious, and Harry, Kimberly, and Sally joined it. Mr. Patrick, who had emerged from the kitchen started laughing too.

"What's so funny?" he managed to sputter.

"I don't know!" his wife answered.

The laughing finally stopped when Ginny couldn't breathe, and a (semi) civilized conversation was started about Hogwarts.

They left some time later, Ginny and Harry waving good bye to Patrick and Kimberly. "You do manage to make friends in the oddessst of placesss," Sally observed.

"We need to hurry. We are already late."

Ron watched as his best friend and sister came running up the hill to the Shack, both with grins on their faces. They reached them panting, and sat promptly down on the ground until they caught their breath. Hermione and Ron sat down in front of them. 

Sally slid off of Harry, and raced over to Ron. Shocking him, she wrapped around his hand.

"I win!" she called triumphantly. 

"No fair!" Harry gasped. "You cheated!"

"She touched him first, she wins. We are both losers. Now I'm going to be a collapsed loser." True to her word, Ginny collapsed against Harry, who was recovering more quickly.

"We were racing," Harry explained, "because we were late. The first to touch Ron won. Sally won."

Hermione and Ron grinned at them. "I take it you had fun?"

"I would have won," Ginny said, though her eyes were closed and she was pretending to sleep against Harry.

"Yeah, but only because I would have let you."

Harry never figured out how she had managed to find his cheek so accurately with her eyes closed. He wondered if a hand print was visible on it. By Hermione's giggle and Ron's cringe, he supposed it was.

"I should hurt you for that."

"But you won't. Now will you hold still? I'm trying to regain consciousness."

Sally chuckled, while Harry shook his head sadly and looked up at Ron. "So did you find anything?"

Ron nodded and handed a box to Harry. Harry opened it, and his eyes widened. "Wow, they're really nice."

"Describe it to me in vivid detail, I'm too tired to open my eyes."

"You certainly hit hard for being too tired to open your eyes. They're earrings, two little silver owls, both with dark blue eyes."

"Sapphire?"

"How would I know?"

"It is," Hermione responded. "It's my birthstone, I should know."

Ginny caught the slight waver in her voice, though she doubted anyone else did.

However, Ron had caught it too, though he pretended not to. _'Why didn't you ever tell me that you cared, Books? Why didn't you say something? I'm sorry that this hurts you so, if I had known-'_

His thoughts were interrupted when Harry started telling them about the picture in the museum and the restaurant.

An hour later, they knew it was time to start back if they wanted to be ready for the ball. Ginny had actually fallen asleep, so Harry picked her up easily and started to carry her down the hill. Practices with his sword were starting to have some benefits.

Ginny kept her breathing steady, and smiled slightly. She had been asleep, the refreshing scent of Harry having lulled her away, but she had woken up when they started going down the hill. She was careful to keep her eyes closed, and cuddled against the warmth Harry offered from the October chill. 

_'I can't place his scent. It's like a mix of fire and sky, but neither of those have a scent. Whatever it is, it's good,' _she thought as she tried to keep from falling asleep again.

Upon entering the castle, Ginny "woke up," blushing and thanking Harry. He smiled and nodded, then walked off to find Heather. Ginny however followed, Heather was helping her too.

They entered the Heather's room, to find her and the dog that was Sirius standing beside a cauldron in the back bedroom.

Sirius walked up to Harry. "Little Man, you're with me. Little Lady, Heather will help you." Ginny walked in to the inner bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Sirius put the charm on Harry's eyes and hair easily, he had been the best in his year at Charms. When he was finished, he frowned.

"What? Didn't it work right?"

"Oh, no it worked. It's just, you don't look like Prongs anymore, and those aren't Flower's eyes."

"Oh," Harry said quietly. He had never really considered how much he must remind Sirius of James, forgot how much they really did look alike.

Sirius shook his head and grinned, an expression that fit him much better. "So lemme see the robe."

Harry pulled it out and Sirius nodded. "Perfect. Now wear your cloak, put up the hood, don't look people in the eye, and hide in your dorm for the rest of the day. I'm sure you have homework that you've neglected."

"Should I wait for Rose?"

"Oh no, it's going to take her the rest of the afternoon, and I'm locked out until then. Oh well, I suppose I should get ready too."

"You are going then?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Prongs and I begged the teachers for a dance when we were in school, and now that we've left they give it to us."


	21. The Dance

Chapter 21

The Dance

"So," Heather said as she spooned a bit of the potion into a cup. "Who's the lucky boy? Wait, don't tell me. He has gorgeous eyes, the cutest behind to ever grace the planet, he's about three inches taller then you, he's caring, loving, and when he talks, you want to die listening."

Ginny looked up surprised. "How did you know?"

"A, I've seen the way you look at him. And B, I was there once too, Rose, I still am."

"It's Sirius, isn't it?"

Heather's cheeks tinged a slight pink. _'Not fair, she even blushes pretty. Why couldn't I be that beautiful?'_

"Well, yes, it was, and is."

"Did you like him all through school?"

Heather pulled a soft bristled paint brush out and walked over to Ginny. "Me, and the rest of the world."

"Understandable, he's sexy as hell."

"Ginny!"

"Well it's true. I'm not blind to see anybody but Harry."

"Yes, well, he's four years older then me, I don't know why I bother. Hold out your arm please."

Ginny watched as Heather stroked the potion onto her arm, where it sank in and her skin turned green. It didn't look painted, it looked like her skin was really green. "This will come off, right?"

"In six hours."

"It's not hopeless, Heather. You're beautiful, friendly, and completely his type. And he always does that protective thing over you. It's cute."

"I'm just worried that the only reason he notices me is because he's been locked away or in hiding for fourteen years."

Ginny shook her head as she gave Heather the other arm. "No, not Sirius. He's way too nice for that. He wouldn't take advantage of you for the world. But it also means if he's fighting it, then he won't approach you, it will have to be the other way around."

Heather stopped to think on that for a moment. "Maybe you're right. Rose, you have way too much insight for a thirteen year-old child."

"How about a fourteen year-old girl?"

"Don't try to be something you're not. He'll love you if he loves you, weather you are one year younger, or ten years older, related to his best friend, or to a monkey."

"I am related to a monkey. Six of them."

Heather laughed, a bright sound that lifted Ginny's heart. "Come on now, let's get this on you so you can put your dress on and I can do your hair."

Harry made his way to the Chamber entrance. He felt that he should be one of the first down there, so if anybody needed out, he would be able to let them. He stole a glance at himself in a mirror. 

Over all, his costume turned out very nice. He wore the sword, but he had put a small charm on it. Now, it appeared to read the name Godric Gryfindor once more, and only read Harry Potter when one looked closely. 

The gold around his collar made his eyes stand out nicely, and he replaced his snake earring with a lion. His glasses were invisible, a feat he was rather proud of. They didn't teach that spell until fifth year. 

Under his right eye was a light scar, a relic Godric wore from a fight with Salazar. His (now straight) bangs hid his real scar very nicely. 

"Going down, you vain peacock?"

"Why is it you have an animal reference for everything?"

"It happensss when you are one," Sally replied icily.

Harry turned from the mirror to face her. "How do I look?"

"Well, there'sss no missstaking you for anybody but Godric, but you ssstill look like Harry to me, and I think that'sss becaussse you naturally look ssso much like Godric."

Harry grinned at her. "And don't grin like that, becaussse it givesss you away completely."

"Open." The sink slid back into the wall. "Are you staying here to let the students down?"

"Yesss, thanksss to Heather."

"Have fun." He jumped into the pipe.

Hermione smoothed her dress down, and took a deep breath. Then she entered the girls-bath-that-was-no-longer-a-bath. She grinned when she saw Sally sitting at the sink.

"Hello, Sally. Did Heather rope you into this?"

The snake nodded, then looked up and down at Hermione's costume. She hissed what Hermione hoped was approval, and then hissed once more to open the sink. Hermione knew that the costume didn't fool Sally, despite the fact that she didn't look like herself at all.

She wore a deep blue dress that made it very easy to remember that she was, in fact, a girl. Her hair had been changed to a very light blond and pulled straight and curled to frame her face. Her eyes were a light blue and her lashes long, dark, and curled. There was glitter on her pale cheeks, and her lips held a very light shade of pink. What made the outfit, however, was the gold set of wings on her back, and the gold circle that floated above her head.

The entire thing she had done herself, right down to the charm that made her float more then walk. All the charms she had used flashed through her head as she slid down the pipe. 

Ron walked grinning into the girls bathroom. Sally at the sink suddenly started to make a lot of noise, and Ron assumed she could only be laughing.

"I look that good do I?"

She hissed at him, and Ron didn't need to be a Parselmouth to know it was something along the lines of 'Harry's going to kill you.'

"He is going to be pretty mad, isn't he? Oh well, he'll get over it. All I really did was take some of his things without asking. It took me a week to get the hair dying charm and eye color spell right."

Sally chucked to herself, Harry would be so mad, she wished she could be there when he saw. "Open," she hissed for the millionth time.

"Thanks!" Ron jumped in the pipe, enjoying his ride down.

Harry emerged from the pipe into a place he hardly recognized. Heather, dressed as Sandy the Sassy, walked up to him. "Nice costume," Harry commented with a grin. Sirius walked up behind her, dressed as Sandy's lover, Paul the Protector. Harry hadn't realized how much Paul really looked like Sirius, he had done nothing but brush his hair out and change his eye color.

"We thought it was a good choice." Sirius said, and Harry noted that his voice was slightly different, but his eyes, though a different color, still had that dull look Azkaban had given them, with a mischievous glint over top. _'Even twelve years in hell couldn't knock that glint out of his eyes.'_

"Am I the first here?"

"Beside a lot of the staff, yes. Did you know even ghosts can't get down here without passing though the pipe? And we tried to use the Veedeeo spell on Sally saying open, and it doesn't work. There's ancient magic crawling all over this place, there's no way we have the Christmas dance down here."

"What ever you say. I do believe I can go get the other doors in here to stand open for you."

"Would you? Professor McGonagall just happened to be on the other side of one when it started to shut. It's a good thing she's as quick as a cat."

Harry chuckled to himself as he headed down the chamber to open it up.

When Hermione reached the bottom, there was already a very large number of students present, and music filled the chamber. She smiled mentally when a number of the boys stopped and turned to look at her. 

She spotted Heather and Sirius, and headed -or rather floated- over to them.

"My, my," Sirius said, looking her up and down. "Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" Hermione asked with a very slight pink tinge touching the glitter on her cheeks.

"Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"

Hermione turned a brighter shade of pink, and looked at Heather, trying very hard to ignore Sirius. "Who's your charming date?"

"You can call him Paul." She nodded, a smile hinted in her eyes. "Very nice work on the charms, by the way."

"Thank you. Have you seen any other members of the Dream Team?"

"Harry's having a conversation with the doors, trying to get them to stay open. They seem to have a real attitude, and he's having some difficulty."

With the perfect timing that he seemed to always have, Harry chose that moment to walk up. The annoyed expression on his face disappeared upon seeing Hermione. It turned out that the doors worked the same way as the stairs, you had to yell at them. Salazar must have liked to yell.

"Books? Is that you?" She nodded, and he grinned. "The only way I could tell was that nobody would be able to perform that many charms as well as you. May I say that you look gorgeous?" he asked with a slight bow.

"You may," she answered with a curtsy.

"So did you break anything?"

"What?"

"When you fell from heaven."

Sirius and Heather started laughing, and Hermione merely shook her head sadly. Harry looked up, and his eyes narrowed.

"He's dead."

Hermione gracefully twirled on toe (literally) to see that Ron had just entered. He had come dressed as Harry. She chose that moment to move off, not wanting him to see her just yet. She watched as he walked up to Harry.

"Hello," Ron said with a sheepish grin.

"You. Are. Dead."

"Wow Harry, I knew you wouldn't mind. Thanks!"

Ron had stolen a pair of Harry's robes, which fit him rather well, as he wasn't too much taller then Harry now. He had dyed his hair black, and used gel to make it look messy. His eyes were changed to green, and he had poked the lenses out of an old pair of somebody's glasses. He had used some sort of spell to draw on a lightning bolt shaped scar.

Harry turned to Heather. "Please tell me I don't look that stupid!"

She laughed, and patted his head. "No, you don't. He is recognizable as you, but he doesn't really look like you. His face isn't meant for that hair, or those eyes, and yours is, understand?"

Harry however had stopped listening as the entire room went quiet. The pipe was forming into a staircase. Harry walked foreword. Was Sally trying to say that something was wrong? But something stopped him. If something was wrong with Sally, wasn't he supposed to know?

His jaw dropped when he saw what was descending from that stair case.

Ginny tried to calm her heart as she stepped down off of the last step. Everybody was looking at her, there was no sound besides the music. The dancing couples stopped, and Ginny was glad her blush was impossible to see.

From the top of her neck down, every visible piece of skin of Ginny's was green. It didn't look like it had been painted, it looked natural. Harry realized with a start that there was quite a bit of green skin visible. She wore a green dress that couldn't possibly fit better, and was the exact same shade as her skin. 

The 'shawl' of the dress was a green silk that looked so much like two leaves connected to her arms that Harry had to remind himself it was fabric. 

Her face wore a golden color, which also looked natural. Her hair however, was what made the outfit. It was the same color gold as her face, and held up to look like a blossoming rose. Her eyes were the same gold, and she locked Harry's gaze, and he could _see_ the fear in them.

"Harry you twit!" came a very hard to hear hiss from upstairs. "If you don't take sssome of the attention off of her, she'sss going to passssss out! Asssk her to dance!"

Harry took a step foreword, and bowed. While his head was lowered, his spoke quietly in Parseltongue. "Play along."

Ginny curtsied, and Harry offered her his right hand. She smiled nervously and took it with her right. He walked backwards slowly, leading her to the 'dance floor.'

Harry thanked his luck, (though he suspected it had more to do with Heather then luck) that a slow song had started.

They began to dance, and Harry spoke in Parseltongue once more. "You look amazing."

This comment made Ginny smile and look down at her feet. "Everybody is watching us."

"Hold on, I'll fix that."

Harry made eye contact with a number of people over Ginny's shoulder. Either they were all mind readers, or Harry was very good at conveying messages with his eyes, because there were soon more people on the dance floor. Seeing others, made more people come on.

Ginny relaxed slightly as some of the attention died off. She felt suddenly like she was going to collapse. She hadn't realized how tense she actually had been, and she was suddenly exhausted. Harry must have felt that too, as he shifted so he was supporting her more.

The first song faded into another, and by Ginny's favorite band, Golden Sky, Navy Stars. Harry made no attempt to stop dancing, and she smiled to herself. She would remember this moment for the rest of her life.

"Thank you. Sally insisted that I make an entrance. I thought I was going to die."

"Be glad you are not me. I think your entrance was lovely. It was almost as though we had planned it."

_'I did,'_ she thought to herself, _'but I hadn't planned on it coming true.'_

Hermione watched as Harry and Ginny danced, she was so happy for her best friend. A voice spoke behind her.

"Can I catch you next time?"

She turned gracefully around to see Ron. "I'm sorry?"

"When you fall from heaven, will you let me catch you next time?"

She smiled. _'He doesn't even know it's me.'_

"Yes, I will let you catch me."

He smiled slightly and nodded. "Would you like to dance Books?"

Hermione was for once, caught off guard. "Wh-what? How did you know it was me?"

Ron looked surprised for a moment. "How could I not know? You eyes are different, and so is your hair, but you are still Hermione. I've probably memorized everything about you. I've known you for four years, I could pick you out of a crowd just by seeing your hand,"

Hermione shut her eyes. _'He likes somebody else. Another girl, don't say anything stupid.'_

"So do you want to dance, Books? It looks like Rose really wants some of the attention taken off of her and Harry."

Ron led her out to the dance floor, and he watched his best friend and sister over her head. "That was really nice of Harry to save her like that."

Hermione sighed. "If there is anybody in this world that deserves Ginny, it's Harry."

Ron looked down at her, surprised. "What? Are you kidding? Them?"

"And why not?"

"Because she's my sister, that's why."

"And who better for you sister then your best friend?"

"A-" Ron stopped when he realized he couldn't argue that statement without putting down his best friend. He shook his head. "They're just friends, so it doesn't matter anyway."

McGonagall watched from her spot on the wall as Harry walked up to Ginny and bowed. _'A bow? He's either done his homework, and his really playing his part as Godric, or it just comes naturally to him.'_

She watched as Ginny finally relaxed and Harry moved to support her. _'Miss. Weasley doesn't do well under attention. Quidditch will knock that out of her soon enough.'_

McGonagall noted Hermione and Ron come on to the dance floor. She looked closer at Hermione's costumes and nodded in approval. Not many forth years would be able to manage all those charms.

"She did do a nice job, didn't she," Sirius's voice said behind her.

"Yes, she did."

"So I take it you're here to keep tabs and play spy."

"I am not a spy, I am only a pair of very sharp eyes."

Before too long, the Dream Team left the dance floor and sat at a circular table near the wall. Harry and Ron were talking about the approaching Quidditch game, Hermione was lost in her thoughts while staring at her glass of Pumpkin Juice. Ginny had so far turned down nine dance invitations, or rather requested that they ask again later. She was starring intently at something on the other side of the room.

Ginny stood up suddenly, as though the moment she had been waiting for finally came.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"Watch this, and never underestimate the power of women." This statement caught her Ron and Hermione's attention.

They watched as Ginny crossed the room and stopped in front of a person who had come as a vampire.

"Who is that?" Ron asked.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Malfoy."

Ginny walked up to Draco Malfoy, who was standing with two other Slytherins that were in the sixth year. Both of them looked up at her when she stopped. One of them whistled at her costume, while the other muttered "Great Scott" under his breath. Malfoy turned to look at her with surprise. 

Ginny smiled, this was going to be so much fun. "Draco, ask me to dance," she said in the sweetest voice she could make.

Draco's eyes went wide and the boy to his right spoke. "Why does he always get the girl? I'm older and better looking."

After this statement, there was nothing Draco could do. He offered his hand to Ginny with a glare that could freeze fire. It didn't frazzle Ginny, who smiled at him as they made their way to the dance floor.

As the slow song started, (Ginny was glad she had discussed with Heather earlier) she moved in and leaned against Draco, resting her head on his shoulder. She could feel he was stiff with shock.

"What the hell are you doing Weasley!" Draco hissed.

"Hey, gave me a break," she said too quietly for anybody but him to hear. "You're cute enough for me to dance with once, even if you are snotty spoiled brat."

"I am not!" Draco exclaimed, wondering why he cared that she called him that.

"Oh, shut up, people are staring." It showed how much Ginny was enjoying herself that she didn't tense under all the attention they were getting. After seeing them dance, everybody had cleared off the floor to give them the spot light. All people from Gryfindor, Huffelpuff, or Ravenclaw was laughing at the look on Draco's face, while the Slytherins glared at Ginny.

"I'll get you for this Weasley."

"What will you do, insult me more then usual? Does it really make you feel that good? Well, I feel lucky, because I know that nobody is allowed this close to you. I'm attempting to figure out why."

"And that's really none of you business is it?" He sounded casual, but Ginny felt him get even more tense.

"I won't hurt you," she whispered. He relaxed very slightly, and she smiled to herself. The next few moments past in silence that Draco thought was very uncomfortable. "And it is my business," she said as the song began to end.

"And why is that?"

She turned to whisper in his ear. "Because I love you."

It was a good thing the song was over, because Draco stopped dead, and looked at her with surprise. _'And fear? God, it's worse then I thought.' _"Oh don't look so surprised. She leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek, causing his pale face to turn very red, and she turned on her heal and walked away, back to her friends. 

Ron, was bent over double with laughter. Hermione was laughing so hard she was crying. Harry was laughing silently to himself.

"Oh my God Rose, the look on his face! It was priceless!" Hermione managed to get out.

"He'll never be able to call you something snotty again!"

"What did you say that made him go all stiff like that?" Harry asked.

Ginny smiled and looked down at her feet. "I told him that I loved him.:

Hermione stopped laughing, Harry's eyes went wide, and Ron's laughter turned to coughing.

"You what!" he choked.

"I told him that I loved him," Ginny said with more confidence this time. She met Ron's bewildered eyes.

"Why on earth did you do that!"

"Because it's true." Ron gaped at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh put your eyes back in your head, Ron. Sometimes you're harder to deal with then he is and I still love you, why can't I love him too?"

"Face it Pawn," Harry said. "Ginny loves everybody."

"Rose," Hermione said, some worry left in her eyes. "You aren't _in love_ with him, are you?"

Ginny shook her head, then turned to watch Draco across the room. "He's not a bad person, Books. You can tell if you look in his eyes. He only does what he thinks he's supposed to do. I think it's bad parenting. I don't think his parents love him. So, I'm going to love him." She smiled to herself. "Not to mention he's really cute when you scare him like that."

"Ginny!" Ron cried, and Ginny lost it and started laughing. Her laughter being contagious, her friends soon joined her.

Draco watched across the room at the laughing Dream Team. Unintentionally, he reached up and touched his cheek. _'She lied. Nobody loves the Ice Dragon.'_ With that, he found a seat and sulked the rest of the evening.

__

(A/N: Please don't kill me. SHE WILL NOT END UP WITH DRACO! I promise. This was just needed for the plot in later years. Hehe. Personally, I thought it was cute. 

Draco: I didn't

Me: Shut up and get back in your drawer! 

Draco: (voice trembling) Yes'm.

Well, tell me what you think, and thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews!!)


	22. Ice Dragon

Chapter 22

Ice Dragon

Draco was unusually subdued in potions class the next morning. He had not been his normal witty self since last night. _'Ice Dragon,'_ he thought to himself. With more concentration that it usually took him, Draco entered the place in his mind where nobody else could go.

This was not something he dared to do often in public, as the side effect was more often then not him dropping out cold. He felt the tiny pin points work their way up his body, leave him frozen where they passed. Nothing hurt here, he was numb, physically at least. However, it did very little to numb the pain that he felt now.

He was very aware that he was going to receive bad news today. He had a feeling, and those feelings had yet to prove wrong.

"Mr. Malfoy," came Snape's voice. It sounded far away and faded. Draco opened his eyes, and came down out of the world that he had created for himself. The only result of his visit being the coldness he felt against everything.

"Yes Professor?" _'Come on, ask me what's wrong. I may tell you, wouldn't that be a laugh.'_

Snape said nothing, but rounded on Potter. _'Insufferable old man. He ought to-'_

Draco's thought was interrupted by the arrival of a huge eagle owl that made him jump out of his seat.

Harry watched as the owl entered the room and Malfoy jumped out of his chair. Harry looked to glare at him, did he really need to be getting things from home during class? That was, until Harry saw the look in Malfoy's eyes. Fear, intense fear so great it made _him_ want to scream. It was gone in a split second, Harry almost wondered if it was ever there before it disappeared behind the cold mask.

_'Mask,' _he thought, letting himself chew on that for a moment._ 'That's all it is isn't it? A mask?'_

Draco didn't notice that he had left his seat. Thoughts rushed through his head. _'Bad news. From home. Home. No, not home. Ice. From father, bad news. Dragon, ice. Bad news. Home. Father. ICE DRAGON!'_ He pulled it under, letting it freeze. _'Stay with the ice,'_ he told himself firmly.

Slowly, Draco removed the letter and scanned it. _'No, no, please. Ice, don't leave. Ice Dragon, untouchable and cold.'_

"It seems my mother his very ill," Draco drawled as best as he could. "My father wishes that I return home to see her. He requests that I leave as soon as I receive this."

Snape narrowed his eyes, but nodded. Draco collected his books and walked out.

Harry gave Malfoy very little thought from then on out. He had much more important things to worry about then the mask that Malfoy hid behind. The first Quidditch game of the year was coming up, and Harry had a lot more weighing on it then just the house cup.

He called the team to a meeting that night, and stood in front of them. "I don't really think I should be captain of this team." He went on before they could protest. "I am however, going to give it my best shot. I don't want to drive you into the mud, but I do _really_ want to win this game. After that, we should all be fine, but this game, we need to win this game. So I'm going to drive you as hard as I can, and instead of me judging when it's time to stop, you tell me when it's too much. Are evening practices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays too much?"

They all shook their heads no, and Harry fingered the ring around his neck, something he tended to do when he was under pressure. "Okay, then let's get out there. No more preaching from me, I don't do pep talks."

Before Harry knew it, it was Sunday again and only then did he remember that Malfoy still hadn't come back. He sat down in the common room, completely exhausted, as he had just finished practicing with his sword. Ginny looked preoccupied and worried about something, and was whispering very quietly to Sally.

"What's up with Rose?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Believe it or not, I think she's worried about Malfoy. He has seemed to be gone a long time just for a visit."

Harry shrugged, it didn't bother him. Malfoy wasn't there to make his life even more stressful, and he could hardly wish him back.

Draco very carefully laid himself down on his bed. He entered Ice Dragon without even thinking about it. The pain made the passage easy. It only ebbed the pain, until Draco concentrated and numbed it out completely _'I go back tomorrow. I told the elves, they will see to it. Mother and Father won't know until I am gone.' _Natural sleep was a rare occurrence for Draco, but the world he so affectionately called Ice Dragon could numb his mind to sleep if he willed it to. 

Suddenly, as his mind was almost slowed enough to put him to sleep, he came to a realization. Why only go the Ice Dragon when he wanted the pain to go away? Why not stay there and have the pain never arrive?

Harry walked into Potions, very tired. He had been up with Ginny, who told him of another night mare, this one with a message also. This had been the fourth one since the first, and the more words she collected, the less sense it made.

He collapsed into his chair, Ron and Hermione sitting beside him. Snape walked in, and glanced at Malfoy's empty seat. He even forgot to make Harry miserable, telling them to open their books and try a potion.

It was halfway though class that the door cracked open and Malfoy walked it. Harry looked up at him, but Malfoy made eye contact with nobody. Harry's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing that his arm was in a sling.

"Welcome back, Mr. Malfoy, my I ask how you acquired that sling?" Snape asked.

"I told the house elf to bring it to me." Draco drawled, sitting very slowly in a chair.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "And why did you do that?"

"Why did I do that, man are you daft? I was under the expression that one usually puts a broken limb in some sort of restraint."

Snape's lips thinned, and in the very back of his mind somewhere Draco wondered if he had gone too far. It didn't matter, nothing did.

"Do you wish to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"There's no need, there is no pain. But I believe I won't participate in the Quidditch match. The reserve will have to do."

Snape turned and snapped at them to continue their potions.

Harry watched Malfoy very carefully from the other side of the room. _'Is he faking it to get out of the match?'_

He didn't think so. Draco moved very slowly as he prepared his ingredients. He never showed any sign of pain, but then Malfoy never showed much of any kind of emotion. The way he moved was what made Harry believe it. It would be _damn_ inconvenient to move like that unless it was necessary. If he had only wanted out of the match, it would be easier to 'break' just his hand.

She was heading for lunch that afternoon when Ginny spotted Draco. She smiled, she had began to worry. Then she saw the sling and frowned. He was alone, standing against the wall, and she walked up to him. His eyes were closed, and he made no sign that he had heard her approach.

"Draco?"

His eyes flew open and he suddenly grabbed his shoulder and fell to his knees, groaning at the pain. He panted, unable to make it go away. Ginny dropped down to him.

"Draco? Are you okay?" She reached out and touched him, causing Draco to inhale sharply. She pulled back. "Do you want me to go get Madam Pomfrey?"

No," he croaked, "No, I'm fine." He pulled himself to his feet, his face still contorted with pain.

"What happened?"

"I- I fell off of my broom at home."

Ginny nodded, studying him for a moment. Suddenly, Harry's voice was heard in the distance. "Rose!" Ginny took a fleeting glance at Draco before running off.

"Draco," a voice penetrated the ice. It was clear, crisp, as though it cut right through, not faded like all the other noise. This caused him to open his eyes in shock. Upon seeing the owner of that voice, the ice world shattered. With that shattering, came a wave of pain from his arm. He fell to his knees, trying desperately to rebuild the ice. Just as he almost started to make some progress, she touched him, and it shattered again. 

He wasn't very aware of what he was saying, he was praying for her to leave. The moment she was out of sight, the ice slammed back cold enough to crystallize air. The pain stopped immediately. He leaned back into the wall, pulling the walls of Ice Dragon a little closer.

When his mind was functioning again, he thought to himself. _'Why on earth could she do that?'_

The Gryffindor team was facing a small problem. Ginny had been flying a school broom during practice, but she really needed a new broom. This problem weighed on the minds of every person present in the locker room. Harry was the only one yet to not show, it was their last practice before the big game.

The door opened, and Harry walked in. Over his shoulder he carried two broomsticks, a red one and a yellow, the red being his Firebolt. He took the yellow one and tossed it to Ginny, who caught it. She them looked at it, yelped and dropped it. 

They team looked over and one word shown up at them. _Lightningbolt._

"Harry," George said dryly. "Where did you get it?"

"I ordered it. I was hoping it would get here in time. Now we're even, Rose."

Ginny shook her head. "Harry, I can't take that! It must have cost a fortune."

Harry shrugged. "It's here, it's not going back, so you might as well take it."

"But the cost-"

Harry cut her off with a shake of his head. "I have more money then I ever plan to use, and by the end of next year I may end up making more. I don't need it." He grinned. "Let me spoil you a little okay?"

Ginny looked from the broom which still lay on the floor to Harry, then back again. She nodded, bending over to pick up the broom. Inspired by two of the best brooms on the planet on their field, the practice went amazingly well. Harry almost wasn't nervous, well almost.

He laid on his bed and stared at the curtains. He knew he had to sleep, but he couldn't. Sally lay beside him, not speaking. Suddenly, there was as knock on the door.

"It'sss Rossse, I called her."

Harry jumped up and opened it, and Ginny looked at him with a worried expression crossing her face. "Sal thought you might have some problems sleeping, so she had me brew this," she said pushing a bottle in his hand. "She said I would know if you needed, she would call me." Ginny shuddered. "That is a horrid feeling. Take it, it's a Deep Sleep Potion. Sleep well."

She turned and walked back towards her dorm, and Harry watched after her. "Thanks Rose," he whispered. "I owe you again."

Sally smiled to herself before curling up to sleep herself. 

A man in a dark cloak looked around him, a clearing deep in the forest. The creatures that had once lived there had been disposed of. He smirked at his followers, cowering before him. None wanted the wrath of their lord at that moment.

"Wormtail!"

The little man took a step foreword, shaking from head to toe. He continued to rant at the pitiful excuse for a man for some time, telling him all his faults. This was quite an amusing game.

"There better be a new source her by tomorrow, Wormtail, or it will be you."

The man whimpered and scurried off, and Voldemort took his seat in the center of the circle. "The time is near, I must hurry, but I must not rush"

Ginny changed quickly into her game robes. Her heart beat hard in her chest, and she wondered if it would bust out. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she didn't need the pleasant warm glow of her necklace to know it was Harry. She turned to look at him. He had his hand clasped around the ring on his neck, a habit she supposed he would soon fall into. 

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Yes, but you have more right. We should stop worrying, Draco's not even out there."

"Please call him Malfoy."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Okay, _Malfoy_ isn't playing, and that second year isn't even a threat to you. We will when this for sure." 

"I hope so, come here and look."

Ginny followed him to peak outside at the crowd. Any attending staff members were visible, and there were quite a few adults that Ginny didn't recognize. They all sat with Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore told me to meet in his office after the game. He said I could get the news then." Ginny felt herself shiver from nerves, and could hardly imagine how he felt.

In what seemed like no time at all, Lee's voice was heard over the loud speaker. "Welcome to the first house match of the year!" The cheers could be heard even in the locker room. "Today, it's Slytherin verses the returning champions, Gryffindor! Both under new captains! This could turn out to be the most interesting match we've had for years. 

"Here comes the Slytherin team. Warington. Montague, Pucey, Derrick, Bole, and Stafford. Captain Malfoy sitting out do to injury." There was a cheer from the Slytherins. 

"And here's the Gryffindor team! Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Bell, Spinnet, Johnson, and Captain Potter."

The cheer that followed made Ginny feel more confident. Madam Hooch was standing in the middle. "Potter, shake hands with, well, with Stafford I guess." 

Harry walked foreword to shake hands with the shaking girl. He gave her a sympathetic smile, she really looked scared. "Mount your brooms." Harry wondered mildly why he wasn't shaking himself. The nervousness had died now that he was out there. The whistle blew and Harry felt his heart rise as it always did when he flew. 

Up above everybody else, he started scanning for the snitch, listening carefully to Lee.

"And Slytherin starts off in possession. Pucey is really heading up the field. Blocked by Bell, Gryffindor in possession. Passes it to Spinnet. Johnson, Spinnet, Bell Johnson. Slow down girls I can't watch! Gryffindor scores!"

Harry smiled to himself but continued to search desperately for the snitch. The little girl did the same, turning in circles to see everything at once.

The representatives smiled as the teams took off, many remembering their days at Hogwarts. "Gryffindor verses Slytherin, always the best game of the year." Oliver Tynce remarked. "Potter is a Gryffindor, a suppose that shouldn't surprise me."

Dumbledore gave a very small proud smile. "It should turn out to be a good match. I feel that Gryffindor has the better team, but the Slytherin well, they tend to-"

"We tended to cheat, that's what we did," Tynce said with a chuckle.

Dumbledore gave a smile, silently praying that Harry got on to the team he wanted. The boy deserved to be happy once in a while.

"Slytherin in possession. Montague has a clear shot. SAVED! Glorious save by Weasley, young Ginny, riding her new Lightningbolt."

Ginny turned right side up again, having had to flip over on her broom to stop the goal. She tossed the ball to Katie, who took off with it. She took a deep breath now that the ball was at the other side of the field. She took the opportunity to look up at Harry. He was gazing around, but caught her eye for one moment and grinned his approval. With this to cheer him on, Ginny went back to the game with new enthusiasm.

One bloody nose, six fouls, and five spectacular Gryffindor saves later, Harry spotted the snitch. It was above the stands, and he took off with speed. The Slytherin girl followed behind him, but he didn't pay any attention to her. 

Just as he clasped his hand around the tiny gold ball, he heard the screams. Right bellow him, the stands had collapsed.

It had been a thankfully rather empty stand, and almost everybody had gotten out of the way. Almost. Harry saw as Malfoy fell, and shot down with more speed then he ever thought he had.

Draco watched as Potter sped for the snitch. _'One more tally to his list. The great Harry Potter. Let him miss it, just this once.'_

However, Potter didn't miss it, and Draco felt his world give out from under him. Literally. He didn't realize at first that he _was_ falling, the ice world slowed his reactions.

Somehow he managed to grab hold of something with his good arm. Dangling thirty feet above the ground, he wondered why he had tried.

He let go, but he didn't fall. He jerked his head up to see Potter, his holding Draco's arm with every amount of strength he had. Dragon Ice shattered, but Draco didn't notice the pain from his shoulder, not at the moment.

His mind was working surprisingly well. He noticed that the rest of the stand was about to fall over on them. He noticed that everybody in his view sat shock still. He noticed that Potter couldn't move without falling or letting him go.

"Let me go."

"No way."

"Just let me go, I don't need this."

"You'll die, Malfoy!"

"I know. Please. Harry," he voice was pleading and meek.

Harry's eyes went open in surprise as he realized what that meant. Then he saw Ginny coming faster then he had.

Ginny also noticed that the stand was falling and was about to collapse on them all. She flew under Draco, pulling him onto the broom in front of him and putting an arm firmly around his waist. "Harry look out!"

A wooden beam was flying right for them. Ginny knew there was no way she could get out of the way fast enough, not with Draco on the broom too. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact, but it didn't come. She looked up to see Harry, right in front of her, his sword held in front of him. The beam hit the ground in two pieces.

They flew to the side, just as the stand's last support broke. She heard it collapse behind her. 

Harry slid his sword into the sheath that materialized out of nowhere on his back. Draco fainted and Ginny reached out to hold him up. Harry reached into his robes and pulled out his wand. He materialized a stretcher, a feat that Ginny didn't have the time to marvel at. He helped her lay Draco onto it.

The crowd sat in shocked silence. Harry turned to face Dumbledore and muttered another spell. Smoky words filled the sky.

_He's out cold. We'll take him to the Mme. Pomfrey. Help the rest._

With that he took off, Ginny in close pursuit, the stretcher following after him.


	23. Unlikely Allies

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(A/N: I know some of you thought the game wasn't exciting enough, but the game wasn't the important part. He caught Draco in midair, that's not exciting? This chapter should explain a little more, I didn't almost kill my drakie for kicks. It's part of the *gasp* PLOT!! Hehe. Love you all, thanks for the reviews!)

Chapter 23

Unlikely Allies

Half way to the castle, Draco Malfoy came to. He moaned, and Ginny flew up beside him. Harry slowed down slightly.

"My arm," he whispered. "The ice is gone. It's gone. Let me go. Why didn't you just let me go?"

"Harry, what's he talking about?"

"He wanted me to drop him."

Ginny looked at Draco, worry shown in the very way she moved. "Draco, why did you do that?" She whispered.

_'They hate you, they are just doing this to impress Dumbledore. That's right, they hate you. Nobody could ever love you.'_

"Drake, are you okay? Please tell me what's wrong."

_'Hate. She hates you. My arm, I want to die. Roll off, fall. _"Let me go."

He tried to move, to roll off, but found that Ginny was suddenly sitting on the stretcher with him, holding him still. "Draco Malfoy, if you ever try that again I will never forgive you. How could you do that to yourself, to me?"

They reached the doorway, and Sally was there. Harry dismounted, and they began to walk to the hospital wing.

"I felt you both, it was ssso ssstrong that I- who the hell isss that?"

"It's Draco, Sal," Ginny said as Sally wound up her leg.

"Oh shit, hisss emotionsss, I think I may passssss out. There'sss worry, and fear, and ssso much pain, but over all isss ssself hate. It'sss consssuming him."

Ginny looked over at Draco. "Draco, it'll all be fine, I promise. We'll get your arm all healed up, and then maybe you can go back home for a while."

"NO!" Sally called, and she took a deep breath. "That ssscaresss him. Ssso greatly, it hurtsss."

"C'm here Sal," Harry mumbled. He was letting Ginny deal with Draco, he didn't trust himself to do it. It would be too easy for him to say the wrong things, which at this point could be fatal. Sally made her way over to him, and he comforted her as best as he could.

"Don't worry Drake, you don't have to go there. We'll keep you here." 

"Ginny," he choked, "shut up for a minute will you?"

He couldn't make himself think that she hated him, but he could make himself forget she was there. _'Come on, ice. Stop the pain.' _It came, and he relaxed into the stretcher. 

Ginny saw him relax, and she sighed herself. 

"Holy shit." Sally said, looking at Draco from the back of Harry's neck.

"What?" Ginny whispered, knowing somehow that if she spoke to loud, that Draco would lose it again.

"All hisss emotionsss, they're jussst, gone. Completely. It'sss, like he'sss dead. I can't feel him at all."

Ginny looked at Draco, he was breathing, and his face no longer showed the pain.

"But Sal, it doesn't hurt him anymore."

"No, it doesssn't, but it doesssn't do much of anything elssse either. He'sss blocked out all feeling. _All of it._"

They reached the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey came out. "What's wrong?"

"My arm," Draco said quietly.

"It's been in that sling for a few weeks now, but it suddenly hurts him," Ginny explained. Draco cringed again.

"It broke, when you ssspoke Ginny. Hisss block broke."

Madam Pomfrey laid him on a bed, then walked over and touched his shoulder. Draco called out, and she drew back.

"His shoulder has been dislocated. How on earth has he lived with that for a few weeks? Okay Draco, I need you to relax. Take a deep breath. Now I want you to scream as loud as you want, but don't move."

Draco built the block up, pretending Ginny and Harry weren't there. He relaxed, and was only mildly aware of Madam Pomfrey grabbing hold of his shoulder.

"Drake?" came Ginny's tentative voice.

The block broke, and he tensed, but the pain didn't come. He sighed deeply, opening his eyes and really seeing them all clearly.

Ginny looked ready to cry, Harry looked worried, and Madam Pomfrey looked curious and concerned.

"Mr. Malfoy, how did you manage to go for weeks with a dislocated shoulder?"

He leaned back into the pillow, suddenly so very exhausted. "I just blocked it."

"How did it happen? It was while you were away I assume, or you would have been here directly."

"He said that he fell off a broom," Ginny said quickly. Draco silently thanked her. He didn't remember what he had told her, and it would have raised questions if he said something different.

"Well, does it hurt anymore, Mr. Malfoy?"

"No ma'am," he said shortly.

"Then you can leave. There's nothing more you need."

Draco stood up, and suddenly realized the awkwardness of the situation. Two people whom two hours ago he had considered his enemies, had just saved his life, and were standing in the hospital wing with him, concerned.

He walked out, and they followed. He turned to face them, and stopped not sure what to say.

"I-" he started, then stopped and looked down. "Thanks," he muttered.

Sally slid forward, in the middle of them all, and started to speak. Draco stared at her, as what she was saying was definitely directed to him. When she stopped, he looked at Harry for a translation.

"She says that you don't get off that easy. She says that you need help, and she's going to give it to you weather you want it or not. She says she's going to need our help, and that we need to find a empty room, now. She says that we will all listen to her, or we will hear about it."

Disobeying the snake that was before him had not crossed Draco's mind. They slipped into a class room that had not been used for many years.

"Sssit." 

Harry and Ginny sat down, and Draco followed them. Sally slid in front of him, and looked him in the eye for an amount of time. Draco felt like his insides were being read, and then Sally nodded.

"I thought asss much."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well Harry, it'sss hard to explain. You, asss I'm sure you have noticed, are not a normal boy." Draco looked lost at Ginny, who began to quietly translate for him. "Thossse messsagesss in Ginny'sss dreamsss, I believe are part of a prophesssy. Sssomething in that prophesssy, or perhapsss another, predictsss you to have a sssignificant other. I've known that for a very long time. Prophesssiesss direct our livesss, but they do not control them. Thisss prophesssy ensuresss you have a ssspoussse, but it did not decide your sssex, nor your sssexuality. Had you been a girl, or gay, Draco would have been that sssignificant other. He'sss not, but you both ssstill a connection at a very deep level. In turn, Draco and I have a connection at a very deep level. Both connectionsss are very week. What I am going to do, would only work with Draco, and the perssson you are meant to be with. Ginny too," she added as an after thought "becaussse I have a ssstrong connection to both her and Harry."

"What, exactly, are you doing?" Draco asked. Ginny felt that both Harry and Draco were taking this all rather well, considering the bit of information that Sally had just dropped.

"Being a Parssselmouth isss not a physssical gift. It isss woven into your mind, it'sss on a mental and emotional ground. My gift of reading emotionsss isss actually the ability to manipulate that emotional ground. I am going to ussse my connection to Harry, hisss to you, and mine to you, to transssfer hisss gift to you. It isss temporary, and if I didn't have Ginny'sss power to draw on, I wouldn't attempt it. Sssee, the connectionsss form a triangle. The gift travelsss through the connection you two have, and through mine, I do the work. It might hurt a little, sssince the connectionsss are ssso week."

"Sal, this isn't going to like, _open_ this connection. No offense, ah, Draco, but I don't really like the idea of having a strong connection to you."

"None taken."

"No, it shouldn't. I should have enough control over it to keep it asss it isss. Ssso faint that you don't know it'sss there."

"Why are you doing this?" Draco asked.

"Becaussse you and I, Missster, need to have a little private chat." She fixed him with a look. It really was amazing that so much expression could go into a snake. "Harry, I need you to concentrate very hard on me and Draco. I need you to think about _good_ thingsss about Draco."

Harry's face went blank and Draco looked at the wall, building the ice up around him. Ginny turned to Draco. "Sally says to stop whatever it is you're doing, because it makes you feel dead to her and she doesn't like it." She looked at Harry. "Drake has lots of good qualities. He's witty, he's quick, he's funny, he's confident, he's got that dark and sexy look." Draco smirked.

Harry cringed. "I think I'll pass on that one, thanks."

Ginny grinned and shrugged. "Suit yourself. If I were you, I'd turn very suddenly gay..."

Both Harry and Draco gagged, and shuddered. Ginny giggled, this would be enough dirt to tease them both for all eternity.

Sally turned to Draco, and Ginny started translating again. "I need you to do the sssame. Think about me, and good thingsss about Harry." Draco too looked lost.

"Harry's qualities. He's charming, he's modest, he's friendly, he's brave, he's got a killer body-"

"That'll do," Draco cut in as Harry's cheeks turned red. "You're embarrassing him. I don't mind if you rattle on about me, but apparently he does." Draco gave a very slight smile, the first real one Ginny had ever seen on him.

"When I'm done, Ginny. Harry may have a hard time dealing with it, ssso help him. I believe you were to sssee the headmassster, Harry?" 

Harry nodded, and closed his eyes to concentrate. Draco did the same. Ginny swallowed a giggle as both furrowed their brows in the exact same way. 

Ginny could relate to Draco, which was what had made her pay the boy attention in the first place. She recognized his personality as a mask, just as the one she had worn the year before. Upon seeing that, she stopped and began to analyzed the way he, and those around him acted. As observant as she was, she picked up from the subtle body language that Draco was very unhappy. She wanted to see past that mask to find out how unhappy. _'He was more unhappy then I thought. That's an understatement. He was suicidal. I hope Sally pulls this off.'_

Harry groaned in the back of his throat. Forcing himself to think on how fast Draco could come back with a comment. He felt like his heart was being ripped out. He jerked as it, an it he had never been aware of, left him completely.

Draco jerked as an alien presence was thrown into him. He shuddered at the feeling, not unpleasant, just alien.

"It's gone." Harry gasped. "Sal, Sal! Sally! I can't do it! It was just like breathing, I can't do it!" Draco watched as Harry's face turned frightened. He had never seen the Boy Who Lived scared before. _'He is human.'_

Ginny moved to calm Harry. Sally began to speak. "It'sss alright Harry, it'll come back. Asss sssoon asss I'm done."

Harry was shaking his head. "I can't hear her. It's not a voice. Sally's voice is gone." Draco realized with a start that he had understood it.

"Harry! She said it will come back as soon as she puts it back. Now, you need to see Dumbledore. Sal, you don't need me? Good. I'll go with you. We should find out if anybody else was hurt at the game."

Ginny lead the distressed Harry out by the hand. When the door shut, Sally turned to Draco. He felt a desire to build the ice.

"If you try," Sally hissed, "I will break it. I realized that Rossse wasss able to break it becaussse you knew she cared about you. Well, I care about you enough to put the perssson I love mossst in the world through that," she said gesturing to the door. "Ssso, I will break it too. Now, let'sss have a little chat."

"What do you want from me?" Draco asked, but what escaped him was a hiss. It surprised him.

"I want you to be happy. Asss every perssson should be. Trussst me, I'm not going to tell anybody. I know who Harry'sss sssoul mate isss, and I've managed to keep the fact that I even _know_ away from him. Though it doesss help that he'sss a little dense. But Rossse isn't, and she doesssn't know either. Now, why don't you ssstart by telling me how your shoulder really got dissslocated."

Draco looked down, ashamed. "I'm sure you didn't do anything to be ashamed about," Sally said quietly.

"He found out."

"Who found what?"

"Father, about the dance. Don't tell her, she'll go all noble and think it's her fault. I danced with a Weasley, he was so furious. He hates the Weasleys so much. I think it's because their father is his idea of the lowest possible thing to be, but _he's_ happy. I think it makes father jealous. He hit me the moment I walked in the door. He usually let's me speak. He- he curses me, painful ones that don't leave marks. He only hits me where it won't be seen." Draco found himself telling things he had always kept to himself to a _person_, it wasn't possible to see her as an animal, that he had only really known for a few minutes. But it felt so good... "He went to a meeting. One of those meetings with the _followers_." He spit the word out like poison. "Something must have happened that upset him. He came back, to take it out on me. He threw me against the wall, I hit my shoulder. I sneaked back to school the next morning. He probably wants to kill me right now, but thinks it'll be suspicious if I get called home again."

"Doesss he hit you often, Draco?"

Draco felt tears well up in his eyes. He hadn't cried since the day that Lucias had killed his pet cat when he was three. "What did I do? I try so hard, but he's never happy. Mother hides in the shadows, she pretends that I don't exist. What did I do that upsets him so?"

"Nothing Draco, and even if you did, it doesssn't mean he hasss the right to hit you. Nobody has the right to make you hate yourssself."

"I _hate_ his _followers._ I _hate_ the dark lord. I don't want to be part of that. He seeks greatness by bowing at another's feet. How is that greatness? He can read my mind, he know that I hate it, that's why he hits me."

"You only think he knowsss what you are thinking, and that isss hisss power asss a father over you. If you have never disssplayed that you hate it, then he doesssn't know. But Draco, lisssten to me. It'sss _good_ that you hate it. Don't let them beat you into it. If you are going to hate anything, hate the followersss and everything they ssstand for."

"Why? Why does he hate me? What makes him do it?"

"He is the ssscum of the earth, Draco. He needsss to beat down a child, becaussse he knowsss deep down that any child isss better then him. It makesss him feel powerful."

"I hate him," Draco whispered. "I hate having to listen to him. I hate having to do everything he tells me. I hate knowing what he is, and that's what people think I am. I hate having to _act_ like that's what I am. He has eyes everywhere. I can't escape him, no matter where I go. I have nobody to turn to, only the elves cared about me."

"You have me to turn to, and Ginny. Harry too, and you know it, don't look ssso sssurprisssed. All he doesss isss love, Draco. He'sss probably already forgiven you."

"I know that! You don't think I realize how great and wonderful he is? I notice it everyday, and know that I could never be like him. Loved by everybody, not hated. I don't think even the dark lord really hates him. Nobody can. I think the dark lord is afraid of him, personally. Everything he does is good, benefits somebody else. I could never do that, not and be a Malfoy."

"Ssso don't be a Malfoy. Ussse it asss a cover, and help. Make Malfoy the name you ussse, going undercover to help the defeat thossse that you hate."

"You, you mean turn spy?"

"It wouldn't be easssy," Sally said quietly. "You would be living a double life, and it would have to look to everybody that you _are_ one of them. You would have to live like what you hate, and only Harry, Ginny, and I would know that isssn't you. But, it isss where that little block trick would come in handy."

"Dragon Ice."

"Sssorry?"

"I call it Dragon Ice. Stupid really, but one of the elves called me it. Started saying how I burned inside, and was freezing outside. A dragon in ice. Draco, it means Dragon."

"Ssso you ussse that to fool everybody. The quessstion would be if you could handle it. It would be hard, and you would need a ssstrong will. But..." she faded off.

"But, I would be making up for everything my father did, even if nobody knows it."

"You would."

Harry shook his head as they made their way up to the headmaster's office. "I can't describe it Rose. It's like they say you never miss something until it's gone. I can't even tell what's gone, but it feels like a part of me is missing. Being away from Sal helps, so I don't hear her and not understand, but it's still gone."

"I wonder if you hadn't learned how to control it so well if you would notice so much. Like, if you were only able to use it in front of a snake, then you wouldn't notice. But since you can use it whenever you like, it hits you pretty hard."

"Might be." He took a deep breath, and shifted his sword on his back. "Well, that wasn't really a class A game. Wouldn't surprise me if none of them like me now."

"Oh I don't know, the game wasn't much of a challenge, but I think catching Draco out of mid air was a nice touch."

"What happened? Those stands are magically enhanced. They don't just collapse."

They reached the statue that stood in front of Dumbledore's office. It jumped to the side, and they started up.

Dumbledore motioned for them to come in, and they sat in front of his desk. He looked sober, and the twinkle wasn't present in his eyes.

"The team captains or representatives are speaking with their teams though a magical kind of letter. They should decide soon."

"Was anybody else hurt?"

"We are unable to locate one student, Miss. Elizabeth Tincy. There is currently a search through the castle for her. The odd thing is, she wasn't anywhere near the stand that collapsed."

"Elizabeth, as in the one who runs around hanging one me?" Ginny nodded.

"How is Mr. Malfoy?"

"He's having a little talk with Sal."

Dumbledore looked surprised. "How is he doing that?"

"Sally transferred my gift to him. Something about a prophesy, me being a girl, a connection triangle, and the gift of being parselmouth existing on a emotional ground. All I know is that I'm really glad that I'm not gay, and I can't wait until she's done. I feel like I forgot how to breathe."

Dumbledore looked at him curiously, and then closed his eyes in thought. Suddenly, and piece of paper appeared on his desk. "It seems one team has come to a decision. The Chudley Cannons say they still want you." Three more papers appeared in a row, and as Dumbledore picked them up, another followed. As he was reading them, four more papers appeared with no sound at all. 

"Well," Dumbledore said with a smile, the twinkle returned to his eyes. "It seems every team is willing to take you. I trust you have made a decision?"

"Caerphilly Catapults," Harry said instantly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I trust that you will have quiet an adventure with that group. Their Beater, Tony Suring, is here, would you like to meet him?"

Harry nodded. A moment later, a door to the left opened and a young man of no older then nineteen came smiling though. Both Ginny and Harry stood, as Tony walked foreword and shook their hands, wearing a mischievous grin that reminded Harry of the twins.

"So glad you picked us, Harry. We really needed a new Seeker. With Sue leaving and all. Though I will miss her. The team will be coming in a week to meet you."

"The whole team?"

"Yep, we do everything together. We have too, it's what makes us such a good team. We would have all been here today, but Dumbledore didn't want too many people. You'll like everybody, we're like best friends. I, personally, am really glad you're coming, because now I'm not the baby of the team." He grinned.

Harry smiled, feeling that for once something had worked out. 

Tony had to leave, and Dumbledore turned to them. "Well, I have to go see to our missing student," he said with a frown. "She must have been found by now."

Harry's eyes widened it shock. "Harry, what's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"Missing," he croaked. "Wh- what if she's not just lost in the school. W-what if she's _missing._"

The search for Elizabeth became suddenly more frantic. Harry, however, knew exactly what to do. He ran straight for the Gryffindor tower. 

A party was going on in the common room. His arrival didn't go on noticed. 

"Captain! Great save!" Fred called.

"Should have let him fall, Captain!"

"Lemme go," Harry mumbled, trying to get past them. 

"Oh don't leave," one of the older students called. "This party is being held in your honor. Kick snake ass!"

They were all patting him on the back, and Harry attempted to talk, but couldn't get a word out.

"Everybody, listen up! The Captain wants to make a speech!"

The room went suddenly silent, and their eyes widened as Harry gave every one of them his death glare. 

"A student has gone missing. She has not been found yet, and I have reason to believe that Voldemort kidnapped her. Now, I would like to go see if she is still on the grounds, that is if it's all right with all of you that I leave the party."

Nobody spoke a word while he had that glare in his eyes. The sword glowed red on his back, and a path was suddenly cleared for him to the stairway.

Upon entering his dorm, he opened the trunk and fell to his knees in front of it. Taking out one of his most prized possessions, he tapped it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The school spread out in front of him, and Harry searched frantically for one name. He couldn't find it, and deep inside him he had known he wouldn't. 

He walked very slowly down the stair way to the common room. Every pair of eyes were on him, and Ginny walked to him.

"Is she...?" she didn't need to finish the question. Harry nodded, and gasps were sounded through out the room. 

The part of his mind that was rational noted that almost the whole house was present. He spoke, and people on the other side of the room had no trouble hearing. "Voldemort," almost all flinched, "has crossed the line." With that, he walked out of the room, the sword on his back glowing a ruby red.

The staff sat around him, their search having turned up negative. Suddenly, a movement out the window caught Dumbledore's attention. He jumped from his seat, and the staff followed. 

As they watched Harry Potter carve another name onto the stone, every member of the staff felt the same. Violated, betrayed, and above all, terrified. Dumbledore turned to face them all. "We have a problem. Everything from here out will be a fight, and if you are not ready to fight for these students then I ask you leave. However, it seems most of the battle will not be ours."

Sally felt the sudden pull, and the sick sensation that came along with it. This was the last thing she needed right now. She was relying completely on Ginny's energy at the moment. 

"Draco," he must have heard the problem in her voice, because he sat up straight quickly. "I have very little time, Harry needsss me. I need to undo the ssswitch. I may never be able to do thisss again Draco, ssso you will have to remember everything we talked about. Promissse me Draco, that you will remember," her voice was straining, she was fighting him.

"Yes, I promise, go quickly." Draco looked worried, an expression his face was not made for. "Sal?" She turned to look at him. "If he has a chance, send Harry down here, will you?"

She nodded, her heart swelling with pride.

Harry stood at the stones, the red lightning bolt pulsing with his heart beat. The sword in it's sheath, floated out and down in front of him. It glowed it's ruby red, and Harry only stared at it.

"I don't feel like practicing," he told it.

_'Practice is not what you need. Release the anger, Harry Potter. Place it where it will be useful later.'_

At that moment, Harry felt the sensation he identified as his gift returning flood through him. With it came an awareness of Sally, making her way toward him. The anger shifted, compacting it's self in the back of his mind. He wondered how much of it had been him and how much had been Sally.

Harry sat down by the fire, nobody spoke. He held the sword in front of him, staring at the large stone in the back of the hilt that was amber swirled with ruby. His gaze traveled down to the beginning of the silver blade, just bellow the hilt. Godric Gryffindor was engraved into the blade, and Harry Potter just bellow it. The sheathe flashed his name alone, but the sword held both names.

_'Held both. Holds both. Does it hold us, or do we hold it?' _Suddenly aware of his surroundings, he noticed everybody was still watching him. Every Hermione and Ron across from him looked on with apprehension. "Draco wantsss to talk," Sally hissed. Harry nodded, nothing would shock him anymore today.

"You should not travel alone," he said to nobody and everybody at the same time. "You should not leave the common room or dorms past sundown. You should not allow yourself to be distracted. The stands were a distraction, Elizabeth was nowhere near there. If something strange happens, look is the opposite direction. Be aware. Heed these warnings and pass them on. Do not exclude people just because you do not get along. Allies will come in unlikely places from here out."

He stood, and walked to his dorm, Sally never leaving his neck. He made his way back to the class room where he had been only an hour before. He walked into the dorm to see Draco sitting against the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest.

When Harry entered, Draco stood. Draco fixed him with a indifferent look. "I just wanted you to realize," he said quietly, "that this changes nothing."

It was not what Harry was expecting, but in a way, it was. "If that is what you want," he paused, "Malfoy."

"It is unimportant if I want it or not. Everybody must think that I will follow my father, or this will never work. Even Dumbledore must believe I have not changed."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying exactly?"

Draco continued like he had not heard the question. He stared at the wall. "I will not go to anybody but you. Ginny may know, only her. Still, I will not go to her. All the problems I will bring I will put square on your shoulders, nobody else's. It will be some years before I am useful, and everything must appear the same. Father has eyes all over this school. It wouldn't surprise me if he knew already, but I'd be dead if he did."

"You do know what this means?" Harry said slowly.

"It means that until I'm old enough to do anything for you, nothing will change."

He walked out of the room, and Sally sighed. It was a heartfelt sigh, filled with pride and regret.

__

(A/N: Sorry this took longer then I thought. I lost one of my notebooks over the week, one with one of my original stories, a half a year of work. I was really upset and couldn't bring myself to work on this while that was gone. Then I sorta brightened up and realized that the notebook was only paper and ink, the story is in my head. All I have to do I write it back down. Well, I know you think I'm jumping around ideas, but right now I am trying to set myself up for the next seven stories after this one! I go all the way up to when Harry becomes a grandfather, so at least you all know he doesn't die before then. ;oP love you all. ~Lily) 


	24. The Catapults

Chapter 24

The Catapults

When Harry woke up the next morning, he shut his eyes again and prayed that the day before had not happened. He sat up, and was the only member of the dorm present. Shrugging into his clothes, he walked down to the common room.

Every conversation stopped, and everybody turned to look at him. He walked over and sat down in the chair beside the fire, next to Hermione and Ron. He wanted a few moments to collect his thoughts before facing the rest of the school, who would have heard all about the night before. 

_'Well duh, you told them to tell everybody.'_ They were still staring at him. He sighed, and headed for the portrait hole, when his name was called. 

"Harry, wait up!" Ginny dashed down the stairs to catch up with him. "What are you doing just walking out of here? We always walk together. You two coming?"

Hermione and Ron jumped out of their seats like they had been burned, and rushed over to them. 

Harry looked at Ginny, and the common room waited with held breath. Would he yell at her? Then they noticed the smile that was playing at the corner of his mouth.

_'Is she the only one? Not even Hermione and Ron will treat me like normal. I can't change what's happening, but I can't let it rule my life. She's the only one that understands that.'_

"I don't deserve you," he said quietly. 

Ginny grinned, a smile that lit up her whole face. "Well, Mr. Potter, I'll agree with you there," she said leading him out of the room. "But you can't get rid of me, so I guess you should just take the punishment without complaint."

He smiled at her and shook his head as the four left the common room.

Hermione and Ron caught on, and treated him normal along with Ginny. They were the only ones. Even the Professors looked at him like he was a bomb ready to go off. Heather was the only Professor to act normal, well as normal as Heather could get.

It was a very hard week for Harry. He was constantly fighting with himself, trying not to blame himself. Then on Friday, a whole new problem came to his attention.

The Dream Team sat in Heather's office, talking with her and Sirius. Harry stared at his feet, trying to put something into words and couldn't.

"Harry, love, what's wrong?"

Harry looked up at her. "I made a very important decision," he said quietly. "It was the right one, and the one I had to make. But it's going to upset my friend. I want my friend to know about the decision I made before everybody else, but I don't want my friend mad at me. I don't know if I could take my friend being mad at me right now."

Heather knew what he was talking about immediately, but she didn't let on.

"Then Harry," Hermione said with a concerned look. "You should tell this friend. If this person is a good friend, they won't be mad at you."

"I know that Books, but I'm afraid to risk that."

"Just tell the guy, Harry. Or girl. Or whatever. It's probably not a big deal."

Harry met Ron's eye and held his gaze for a moment. "Ron, I-"

He stopped, he couldn't do it. Shaking his head, he walked out of the room. His friends ran after him, but by the time they got out of the room, he was nowhere to be seen. 

The descending sun cast its gold and red colors on the lake. This was becoming a familiar setting for Harry. He looked at the stone, and turned his back on it. He wanted to be alone, and somehow, that stone felt like the children it was honoring. 

He fell the ground, sitting cross-legged in the patch of Phoenix Flower. It was funny, he hadn't seen it until he was sitting in it. He picked one of the tiny red blossoms, and one of the yellow ones, twirling them between his fingers.

Sighing, he laid back and stared at the golden sky. "Why me?" he asked it.

There was no answer, Harry had been half expecting one. Nothing would startle him. He pulled his wand out of his robes, and held it in front of him.

His memory flashed back to the day when he had first held it, the feeling of fulfillment that had flooded him. Was it his imagination, or was that feeling fading?

Harry sat on Ginny's bed, while she searched under it for her diary. She pulled it out, and pressed her finger against the lock pad. It sprang open, and she grinned at Harry's look of surprise. "Won't open for anybody but me. Mom got it for me at the end of my first year."

Ginny carefully opened it to the back, and handed it to him. "Don't look anywhere but that page."

He nodded and bent over to read her writing.

__

From four to two to one,

To the last descending sun/son.

With two the battle will begin,

A child will define the win.

A tiny push and some advice,

Every advantage has a price.

A promise broke only by death,

Is, in the life, still kept

A weapon used to help defend,

A weapon used to also mend.

These, he had heard before. They made as little sense then as they did now. But the one bellow was new. 

__

The Descendant's War will come to close,

At the place where it first rose.

"I really think Sally is right. This does sound like a prophesy. I've only ever heard one before though, and that one didn't rhyme."

"You've heard one?"

He nodded. "Professor Trelawney, at the end of last year. A real one, mind, otherwise she's just a fake. She predicted that Wormtail would escape and aid in the return of the Dark Lord. Obviously, he did." He glared at the bed sheet, and Ginny turned her attention back to the verses.

"Do you think we dare ask Hermione about this 'Descendant's War'?"

He shook his head. "If these things weren't coming to you, I would not even be involving you in it."

Ginny sighed, and closed the diary. "So, what are you going to do about Ron? I really don't think he will make that big of a deal about it."

"I once insulted the Cannon's Keeper, Smith, and he didn't talk to me for three days. If he was mad at me now," Harry bit his lip. "Is it wrong to want people who don't stare at you like you've grown two extra heads? Ron and Hermione were slow to catch on at first, but they understand that now. You are my best friend, Rose, but Ron is my brother, Hermione my sister. If either of them were mad at me..." he faded off, not able to finish what he wanted to put into words.

"Then I am always here." Ginny said quietly. 

"I know that, Rose. You three are my weakness. God, if Voldemort got hold of one of you, I'd just give up. There would be nothing left." He shut his eyes, trying to block that thought out of his mind.

Ginny watched his face, trying to calm her heart. _'So Ron's his brother, Hermione his sister, and now I'm the best friend. Is that what I want? Who cares, if that's what he needs me to be, then that's what I am.'_

"I guess I'll just let him find out with everybody else. It will be harder for him to say he's mad when the team is there. I just can't wait for a chance to get away from all of this. Just for a little while."

"I know, Harry."

Harry avoided Ron until the next morning. He came down to breakfast late, and smiled mentally that the conversations didn't soften this time.

Sitting down, he stared only at his plate, very aware of Ron's eyes on him. Ron seemed to know better then to ask though, and kept his mouth shut.

Dumbledore stood, and called for attention. He gained it quickly, everybody immediately fearing the worst. Had something more happened?

Dumbledore, however, smiled slightly. "I have some good news this morning. Hogwarts has some guests here for the weekend. There will be a feast tonight to honor their presence. Come on out."

A door to his right opened, and six people walked out of it. Mouths across the hall fell open as they recognized the green and red stripped robes of the Catapults. The six walked in front of the tables, and Tony's eyes scanned them. His gaze fell on Harry, and he grinned.

Harry smiled, and felt his heart lift. This was him, this was the real him, something he had actually done. 

From behind his back, Tony pulled out a pair of folded robes. Harry stood up, and walked foreword. The only sound in the room his footsteps.

"Tony," he said by way of greeting, with a small nod of his head.

"Harry." He reached over, and pressed the robe into Harry's hands. "Ready to meet the rest of your team mates?"

There were gasps heard around the room, and Harry wondered if they were from shock or from everybody realizing they had forgotten to breathe. 

"This is Chuck Fring, he's our Keeper." A burly man walked foreword and shook Harry's hand. His dark eyes seemed to miss nothing, and all expression was hidden behind his bushy black mustache.

"The triplets, or chasers, Brad, Chad, and Lad."

"Why am I always last?"

"Well I'm always first!"

They pushed each other, all trying to reach him first. They were identical, if not for the fact that their hair colors were all different. 

"I'm Chad," the one with bright blue hair said, shaking his hand.

"Lad," said the one with green hair.

"Brad," the bright red-head finished.

"And because,"

"We are identical,"

"And it's hard,"

"To tell us apart,"

"We did this for you!" they finished together, bending over to give them a clear view of their heads.

Harry laughed, and grinned at them. "Just for me? I'm touched."

The triplets' faces split into identical grins. "I like him."

"He can stay."

"Fine by me."

Tony shook his head. "You know me. Thank Merlin I'm not the youngest anymore. Tiffany beat me by two months," he said pointing over his shoulder at the pretty girl behind him.

"Two months Tony? Really? And all this time I thought I was fourteen years older then you!"

"They wouldn't let a four year old on the team, Tiff."

"Oh, but they did. Don't call me that, young man." She turned to Harry. "As is seems the child will not introduce me, I'll do it myself. I'm Tiffany Casit, pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Harry said shaking her hand.

"Pleasure," Tony snorted. "That's hardly to word for it, she never shuts up."

Tiffany glared at him. Harry grinned. "You two remind me of my friends." 

"Really? Did she end up killing him?"

"Not yet."

"Well, Harry. They want to see you play. What do you say to a fly around the field?"

Harry glanced over to the Gryffindor table. "In a minute?" he asked quietly.

Looking confused, Tony nodded. Harry walked back over to his seat, and sat down. Ginny was smiling, and Hermione and Ron were staring. The school seemed to come out of it's shock, and conversation buzzed the room, everybody glancing over at him.

"Ron," he said quietly. "Please, please don't be upset."

Ron blinked. "Upset," he choked. "I- How could I be upset? Harry. You deserve this. If anybody does, it's you."

Harry felt a huge burden lift off his shoulders. He should have know Ron would be okay with it, why had it bothered him so much? He was letting to many things get to him.

He jumped out of his seat, and went back over to Tony. "Okay, I'll meet you out there?"

Ginny smiled mentally as Harry ran out of the room, most likely to go get his broom. "So how long have you known?" Hermione asked.

Ginny turned to her. "First day here."

Hermione shook her head, while Ron made goggle eyes at her. "The first day?"

"Well, we didn't know which team then. See, he had to chose one, and I helped him pick."

"Well, we should go watch him practice."

They walked out of the room, ignoring the other people in the room who shouted questions at them.

They met Harry by the entrance doors, and walked him out on to the field. The team members were waiting for him. 

While Hermione, Ron and Ginny climbed to the best seats in the stands, Harry mounted his broom. As he took off, he lost all awareness of everybody else. All there was now was the broom and him. The air sped past him, blowing locks of his hair out of his face. He robes flapped in the wind. He felt the rush, that always accompanied flying. Time slowed, and then he slowed and became aware of the ground again. The other team members had also taken to the air.

"Let's play Snitches!" Tony called.

"Snitches?" Harry asked.

"The only ball is the snitch. Everybody looks for it, there is nothing else.

Harry smiled. "Sounds good to me."

When the ball was released, it sped away and disappeared. His eyes searched, all his senses suddenly very aware. Most of the school had joined his friends in the stand. This was the most exciting thing to happen this weekend.

"The snitch usually comes out much faster in Snitches. It knows it's the only ball." Tony explained.

Harry had stopped listening. He'd spotted it, directly bellow. Without hesitation, he started in a vertical dive for the ground. There were gasps, followed by screams.

Harry would die.

There was no way to survive an impact at that speed.

The boy was out of his mind.

These were the only thoughts that fed through Tony's mind as he sat stunned watching Harry dive.

The ground was approaching.

This was it.

He blinked.

Once again, Harry lost awareness of the people. All that existed was him, the broom, the snitch, and the ground.

He was very aware of that ground.

As he came close to the grassy grave, he pulled his right had off the broom, stretching it out and readying his left hand. Fifteen feet, ten, seven. His hand closed around the snitch, and at that exact moment, his left hand jerked the broom up hard. His weight shifted without thought.

He stopped at about ten feet above the ground, turning to sit sideways on the broom. He raised the snitch above him, holding it in the air.

He had only blinked. It had been a fraction of a second, and yet, Tony had missed it. Harry sat sideways on his broom, smiling, the snitch in hand. Tony flew slowly down to him, embarrassed at the way he zigzagged down, while Harry had flown straight.

_'But he could have died. I have no reason to be embarrassed.'_

"Was that good enough?" Harry asked.

"I should bloody hope so. If you had done anything more, you'd be dead."

Harry shrugged. "No, I've taken worse then that could have been. I wasn't worried, I know my limits."

"Wish I had your limits," Chuck muttered as he flew down to join them. The rest of the team followed, all thinking to themselves how easy it would be to win with this line up.

Voldemort inhaled deeply. There was no sensation to compare to the feeling of raising power. This was the strongest specimen yet, and he almost considered rewarding Wormtail for finding her. Almost.

When this specimen was drained, it would be time to move. They were too far away from his main goal for comfort. _'Patience,' _he warned himself. Potter would not get away this time. It would be impossible.

Voldemort ignored the pain that followed the draining of an other's power. Pain was not a thing to hate or feat, it was a feeling, only a state of mind made it bad. That was the first step to using dark magic. All dark magic brought the user pain. Voldemort lived on pain. Thrived on it. 

He looked around at the people who remained in the clearing. About half were gone, he had sent them out on a quest to inform the rest of the followers of his return. There were too many that didn't know yet.

A single thing worried him. To keep quiet until he wanted to be heard, he had cut himself off from the world. His followers also, remained in these woods unless he gave order otherwise.

How much did the outside notice? Surly they had not made the connection yet, not the Ministry. They believed him dead, and continued to believe it because they wanted to. _'But Dumbledore?'_ He stopped that train of thought before it could continue. There was no reason to suspect Dumbledore knew. He could not know for sure, of course, he had not contacted his operative in Hogwarts yet. That was a risk he was not ready to take yet. Yet.

Elizabeth whimpered from the ground, weakly hitting the invisible cage that held her. All reason to fight drained out of her, it was a losing battle. She slumped against the invisible wall, and closed inside herself.

_'Harry,'_ a tiny voice whispered.

_'I'm going to die. He will never get here in time to save me.'_

'Yes you are.' The calmness of her mind admitting that surprised her. _'But you can help him. At least try.'_

She knew what to do. With a forth of it missing, she was very aware of the power that remained in her. It was no longer just _there_, she could feel it now, and manipulate it. Carefully, she pulled a small portion of that power. It had to be small, just enough. There were ways of Voldemort to get to it, but it would be a lot of work. It would have to be too small amount of power for him to care about.

She tucked that power away. She couldn't say where, it was beyond life. Somewhere that she couldn't touch it until life no longer bound her.

Death wasn't the end, she realized. How could it be if this was possible? Suddenly, she wasn't scared anymore. She was ready, she would fight silently.

"Only a forth of her power is drained. I want this one to last, make sure she eats. Force her if you have to. We will be moving soon. I want to go closer." His eyes narrowed dangerously, as if daring any of them to object.

"Wormtail!"

"Y-yes."

"This is a very good find," he said gesturing to the girl on the ground behind him. "I will not be needing another for some time. That in mind, I have a new job for you."

"The followers, my lord?"

"One in particular. I will need his influences on the world outside. Malfoy."

Wormtail bowed so his nose was touching the ground. Voldemort thought he could almost see the tail coming out of the rat's behind. "As you wish my lord."

The man, or rather rat, scurried off into the trees.

Harry sat in Heather's office, even though she was not present. He should have been in bed by now, but Sirius said that he wanted to talk to him.

"Harry, you know you are the son I never had."

Harry grinned. "You could have a son, Sirius. I'm sure Heather would be more then willing to carry your child."

Sirius' cheeks tinged pink, but he shook his head. "I'm mean it Harry, you know that don't you?"

Harry nodded, eye's bright in wonder. What could have brought this on? "And you know that if anything ever happened to you, there would be nothing left for me."

Harry wanted to argue, but nodded anyway. "Good. Now I'm going to teach you something, and if you ever use it, I will never forgive you. Harry, you are not immortal. If Voldemort ever got around to it, he could break you rather then kill you." Harry shook his head violently. "He could, if he used magic to aid him. Do you realize what that would do to this side, the loss of you would be great enough, but to have you on the other side, is a million times worse."

Harry nodded. Was he really that important? "There is a way, Harry, in which it would be impossible for him to turn you. Do you know what that is."

"Well he couldn't very well do it if I were dead," Harry said, his voice harsher then he had meant.

Sirius nodded slowly. "To kill another, Harry, is extremely difficult. To kill one's self, however, is extremely easy. You can use your wand, but it is not always necessary. What you do, is you turn your power in on yourself. Power flows through you now, but to turn in on yourself, will burn you from the inside out."

"How, how do you do that?"

"I do not know, but is it said that you know when you are going to do it. Ask Heather, she would be able to explain it."

"You mean she tried to kill herself!" Harry exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Sirius nodded slowly, studying his reaction. "When your parents died, Peter was thought dead, and I went to Azkaban, she very nearly did. Dumbledore stopped her, but she didn't go though with it for you. She wanted to be here for you, to tell you about your mother."

"But Remus," Harry stuttered. This was a shock to him. Heather always seemed so strong.

"Heather and Remus were friends, but they were not very close. Remus left to deal with everything on his own. Harry, please keep what I have taught you in mind. It is a last resort. Very last. Not until he raises his wand to turn you, understand."

Harry nodded numbly. "Sirius, Heather knows, knows that I, that she is like a Godmother to me, right?"

"Oh, I think she knows, but I think she would like to hear it from you."

Heather walked out of the staff meeting, her colleagues filtering away. As she turned to head for her office, a figure ran toward her. 

"Harry! What are you doing up at- umph." He pulled her into a hug, and she returned it, surprised, but not displeased. "What brought this on?"

He let her go, and looked up at her with a smile. "Somebody asked me if I had hugged my Godmother today, and I realized that no, I hadn't."

Heather pulled him into another hug. "Oh, Harry, you are your mother's child."

She didn't notice that Professor McGonagall was watching them, with a slight smile on her face. Harry however did. He caught the Professor's eye, and winked. She jumped, and turned to walk away quickly. He grinned to himself.

"You should go to bed." 

"Yes, Professor Deleve," Harry said, emphasizing her name. She cringed. 

"You little brat, get out of here." With that, Harry took off toward his dorm.

Walking into the common room, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were still awake, Ron and Hermione involved in a game of chess. Harry fell down on the seat next to Ginny.

"Hey Harry," Ron muttered.

"Hello Ron, have you hugged your Godmother today?" Ron looked up at him from the board.

"Are you okay?"

"Well have you?" Harry said, keeping a straight face with effort.

"No, do I have a Godmother?"

"Everybody has a Godmother. It's the one who takes care of you when your mother isn't around."

"In that case," Hermione said, not looking up from her pieces, "you would be his Godmother Harry. I doubt he would ever go to classes without you there to wake him."

Ron looked up, a devilish grin on his face. "Do you want me to hug you, Harry?"

Harry mocked a look of pure horror on his face, shrinking back into the couch cushions. That lasted for about three seconds before all four of them were laughing, trying not to wake to ones above who were sleeping.


	25. One Step Closer

_(A/N: I do try my best not to bore you with these to often.   I just want to bring up, the SAL FAN CLUB.  Read my bio to learn more.  (o; ) Chapter 25 _

 One Step Closer

                Draco walked the halls of the school, blank parchment, ink, and quill clasped tightly in his fist.  In his other hand, he held a letter.  He knew it was time to return it.  The consequences would be bad if he didn't.

            Walking after hours in the school didn't bother Draco.  He knew that Filch just never _happened to catch __him.  His cat too.  The other Professors always made plenty of noise should he have to avoid them.  His father's name was an advantage._

            He walked into a little classroom. The room was too small to hold any classes any more, but Draco knew it had been once used for Slytherin's dueling practices.  The many protections around it made it perfect for his purposes most of the time. He came here when there was something to do that he couldn't risk doing in the common room or dorm.  This was defiantly one of those things.

            Sitting down at the desk in the front of the room, he read through his father's letter once more.  _'And Potter didn't believe me when I said he had eyes everywhere.'   Taking a deep breath, he started to pen his response._

_Dearest Father,_

_            I am very sorry for the distress that this incident has caused you, but at the time I knew I was ready to put an idea of mine into action.  You are correct, it would have been easy for me to perform a spell to save myself; I know that I am very capable of doing that.  _

That was a lie, but he wrote it anyway.  He hadn't had his wand on him, but his father didn't need to know that.

_However, I knew that Potter's first reaction to a person in distress would be to help, even if it put his own fool life in danger.  Knowing he would save me, I let him.  I have spent four years studying Potter, and his weakness is his sympathy.  Once he came to pity me, he was easy to manipulate.  He thinks I am on his side.  He thinks that I have left the Followers completely.  Thinking me an ally, information may become easier for me to collect.  I know that I should have spoken with you about this plan, but I saw the opportunity and grabbed it, as you have taught me to do.  Please forgive me for any trouble my little accident may have caused you._

_Your Son, _

_Draco Malfoy_

            He smirked to himself, ignoring the little voice in his head.  His mother had planted that voice there, and as she was nowhere near as strong as his father, her little voice was easy to ignore.

            Elizabeth's senses were suddenly very strong.  She wasn't aware of the intense pain coming from somewhere deep inside her, but she was very aware of other things.  There was a stone digging into her right hip.  Her left cheek bone had broken when her face hit the ground, and the dirt she stirred from breathing hard irritated her eyes and made her want to sneeze.  Her left arm was lying limply at the wrong angle.  It had been broken in an attempt to break her fall and not hit her face, but the lack of any energy in her had made the action useless.  But there was no feeling from it.

            She grinned to herself.  She knew her magic was gone, all but the tiny bit she had locked away.  

            "Master, is she, empty?" asked a raspy voice that only wavered slightly.

            "Not quite," Voldemort said slowly, walking toward the broken figure that was Elizabeth.  He stood above her.  "There is a tiny bit left, something she must have done by accident.  It is... hidden."

            "Surly you could get it, Master."

            "Of course I can you fool.  It will take time, however."

            Fear spread through Elizabeth as Voldemort turned her face to his.  He wasn't just going to let her die.  He was going to put her through more.

            "Master," said another voice.  "They are here to escort us tonight."  Elizabeth could here the Dementors, ever if she couldn't see them.  That raspy breathing was east to recognize.

            "Yes, yes, don't question me."  He stared at her a moment longer before standing.  "Kill her."  He turned his back and walked away down a path.  He didn't have time for it, they were moving, and they would be one step closer.

            Two men cloaked in black approached her.  A heartfelt smile spread across her face.

            "Why is she smiling like that?" one muttered.

            "Insane," the other answered shortly.

            Elizabeth never felt the knife that slit her throat.  She was already working in the back of her mind to put her plan to work.

            Harry rolled restlessly in his sleep.  His sheets were already tangled around him, and his pillows had long since hit the floor.  He kicked the bedpost, which would surly leave a mark he would never remember getting.  But the turmoil going on around Harry compared very little to the chaos inside him.

            Visions, half formed and fast, flashed past him.  He had tried to run in every direction, jump, scream, hide, everything to get away, but when nothing would work, he simply stopped fighting and watched.

            A vision of a girl appeared in front of him, but this one didn't flash and leave like the others.  It came closer, and he saw Elizabeth's face.  The moving stopped, the sounds stopped, and all that existed was Elizabeth and Harry.

            Guilt filled Harry when he laid his eyes on her face.  He wanted to sag to his knees and cry it all away.  All he could do was stare.  She smiled, and his stomach was suddenly very eager to rid it's self of his meal.

            "Hello Harry," she said biting her lip.  "Sorry I'm giving you nightmares.  I couldn't find a way in unless you were worked up about something."

            "I'm dreaming."  The words fell from his mouth before he remembered thinking them.

            Her smile fell.  "Yes, you are.  I'm dead.  I used some of my magic so I could come here.  I'm not really sure how I did it, but there are things you need to know."

            Harry's mind raced.  He pinched his arm.  It hurt, a lot.  Elizabeth started to blur.

            "Oh, don't do that!  If you hurt yourself too much, you will wake.  I don't have enough magic to come back again."

            He nodded numbly.  "You- you're dead?"

            She nodded.  "Well, maybe I'm not _completely dead yet.  I don't know.  My body is, but I'm here talking to you.  I'm not sure where I go after this is over."_

            "Are you scared?" he asked quietly.

            She smiled.  "I'm terrified, but it will be okay.  At least I got to see you."  Harry felt himself go red.  How could he be upset about it?  She was dead, or almost.  He couldn't ruin this for her.  She shook her head suddenly.  "But that's not why I'm here.  I need to tell you what happened."

            Harry nodded, his mind suddenly very focused.

            "It was a short man who grabbed me.  He put a spell on me, I couldn't move, or yell, or do anything.  That spell, it felt, evil."  She shuddered.

            "Dark magic."

            "I think so.  I don't remember the traveling.  I woke up in a cage.  That thing was evil too.  It was invisible.  Anybody else could walk through it and out of it, but it was solid to me.  Voldemort, funny how I don't care about saying that anymore."  A tear fell from her eye, and she wiped it away quickly.

            Harry took a step forward to comfort her, but she stopped him.  "Don't touch me," she whispered.  "I'm not sure if I'm solid, and I don't want to find out."  Harry nodded.

            "He's horrid Harry.  We were in a clearing in a wood.  He's even nasty to his followers.  He started to, drain me.  I had never been aware of my power until he started to take it.  He took it all, except the little bit I hid from him.  He could have gotten to it; it just would have meant a lot of work.  Somehow, I don't think Voldemort knew that I was from Hogwarts.  He kept muttering about not getting too close to you, be patient.  About waiting until there was no chance.  It seems to me that he wouldn't want a student, because he doesn't want you to know he's coming back yet."

            "That was what I had thought.  It is Wormtail that is making the mistake."

            "They're moving Harry.  He said he wanted to get closer to you.  The Dementors were there.  I could hear them.  One of the men said they had to move tonight, because they were there to help.  At least, I think it was the Dementors they meant.  Then they killed me, not Voldemort, two other men.  I think they used a knife if I remember correctly.  I'm sorry Harry; I don't know where they are moving.  He never said.  I just wanted to help you."

            "No, Elizabeth, you have.  More then you know.  I don't know how I could thank you.  But, I'm sorry."  He dropped his eyes.  He would be looking at the floor, but there was no floor.  It was nothing.  "There was nothing I could do.  I hope you forgive me.  I couldn't help you."  Harry felt the guilt burn in him.  The swords words echoed in his mind.  _'Place it where it will be useful later.'  He pushed the feeling back, not gone, but not over powering._

            "Harry, I knew you couldn't help me.  That's how I came up with this idea.  But, can I ask a favor?"

            "Anything."

            "Could you put my name on the stone?  I- I guess I don't want to be forgotten."

            He smiled at her.  "I already did, and you won't be.  I promise."

            "My mother knows, right?"

            Harry nodded.  "She came to the school yesterday.  She's still here, with Professor Dumbledore."

            "Could you tell her something for me?  Tell her that I died trying to help.  I want her to know that her daughter was brave.  It should comfort her.  And that I love her very much."

            Harry nodded.  He had avoided Mrs. Tincy, not wanting to have to tell her that he had failed her daughter.  But he wouldn't now.  He would do anything she wanted.

            Suddenly Elizabeth started to fade.  "You are waking.  Good luck Harry.  You will stop him, I know you will."  Her voice was far away, and fading.

            Harry sat straight up in bed.  Without a second thought, her threw his legs over the side of the bed.  Dressing quickly, he grabbed his cloak, his wand, and the map.  Throwing the cloak over him, he tapped the map.  Tracing out his route, he set out.

            He came to the portrait marked and read the password in the tiny bubble.  With a whisper, it opened, and he was facing every staff member in the school.

            Or rather, he was looking at them, and they were looking _through him.  Slowly, he took of the cloak._

            Faces around the room paled.  It didn't cross anybody's mind to scold the student for being out of bed, or for walking in on an important midnight staff meeting that had gone on for hours already.  Simply Harry's presence made them feel as if he had every right to be there.  Sirius grabbed Heather's hand, they both recognized the feeling as the one that James used to give when something important needed done.

            Harry didn't notice that half the staff looked at him with an amount of fear in their eyes.  He looked straight at Dumbledore.  His eyes shifted slightly only once, to Mrs. Tincy who sat beside Dumbledore, and only his eyes showed the pain of seeing her there.  The glance lasted only a fraction of a second. 

            "Death is just the next great adventure, you told me that once Professor."  Professor Dumbledore nodded.  "It is possible to carry your magic past life, isn't it?"

            "Difficult to manage, but possible, yes."

            "Elizabeth died tonight."

            He spoke the fact, plain and true.  Elizabeth's mother burst into tears, and Harry took a small step toward her, but stopped.  With pained eyes, he looked back to Professor Dumbledore.  "She contacted me, in my dream.  She brought us information."  The woman's sobbing turned into silent tears on Professor Sprout's shoulder.  "He is doing what I suspected, draining their power.  He doesn't know that he had a student.  Peter wasn't supposed to come near here."  Professor Dumbledore nodded again.  "They were in a forest.  A clearing, she said.  But they were moving.  Tonight.  She said that the Dementors were there, and she believed they were aiding in the move.  Voldemort," almost the entire room jerked. 

            "Don't say that name," somebody whispered.  Harry either didn't hear them, or pretended not to.

            "Voldemort said that he wanted to be closer.  She tried to find out where they were going, but couldn't."  Harry paused, and his steady gaze shifted to Elizabeth's mother.  The pain entered his eyes once again, and this time he did walk closer.  

            Kneeling down beside her so that he was eye level, he delivered Elizabeth's message. 

            Mrs. Tincy's blue eyes stared at him, and she burst into tears once more, this time on Harry's shoulders.  "Thank you, Harry," she sobbed.  "You've done so much, you have no idea."

            Harry's eyes shut as he comforted her.  _'If only I had been able to do more, you wouldn't be crying right now, and Elizabeth would be here with you.'_

            When she let him go again, he turned back to Dumbledore.  "I don't know if the Dementors have left the prison for good, but I don't really think they have.  Voldemort still doesn't think we know.  He's completely mad, but if Peter got away with it once, somehow I think he will be back."

            Dumbledore nodded again, all his years showing in the strain in his eyes.  Harry took a step back, and pulled the cloak back over him.  The portrait opened once more.

            Dumbledore turned to face the staff, and as soon as the sobbing woman had been escorted out of the room, he began to speak.  "This changes things.  All of our tracking does us no good if they are moving.  I agree with Mr. Potter on every account.  You all know now of Peter's ability.  It will be too easy for him to get in.  What we need to concentrate on is not letting him get back out if we can.  If he is closer, then our attempts to locate him increase tenfold.  Severus?"

            "I told you, he hasn't contacted me.  He probably feels that I am much too near you and Potter to risk approaching yet.  If I try to contact him, he knows that we are catching on.  You know I hate if, Professor, but there's nothing I can do."

            "Sirius?"

            Sirius held tighter on Heather's hand.  "I have been looking, or sniffing, rather.  There is only so much a convicted criminal dog can do.  James, Remus, and I had a circle of contacts, but it had broken and faded.  We are doing our best to reestablish it, but most of them think that I am Voldemort's second hand, and Remus has his own problems against him.  Not many of them knew Heather, she was much younger then them."

            Dumbledore nodded, and looked around the staff table.  "Anybody else?"

            "How does Mr. Potter get away with having that cloak?" Madam Hooch asked.

            "It was James'," Sirius answered looking at the wall.  "That was how we got away with most of our stuff.  It is all Harry has of his father, if I'm not mistaking.  Just as that ring on his neck is all that he has of his mother."

            "How did he know we were in here?" Professor Flitwick asked.

            Dumbledore sighed.  "Even I do now know that.  He seems able to do that often."

            "The map!" Severus and Sirius said synonymously then glared at each other.

            "What map?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes narrowing.

            Sirius sighed.  "Another mistake, made useful.  With all the sneaking around that we did, you wouldn't believe some of the things we found.  It's not just a map; it's a mind map.  It knows what we knew; it knows what you are trying to do.  It shows where every person is, knows their names by reading their minds.  It knows what door you are trying to open, and shows you the password.  Stupid and foolish of us, along with everything else we did.  So many things could have gone wrong into making it.  But we were lucky, again.  It won't hurt him.  He may need it, too."

            Dumbledore nodded, willing to let the subject go when there were so many more important things.  

            "Well if nobody else will say it I will," Severus said with a sneer.  "How is it he can walk in here, after hours in a room he's not allowed, breaking who knows how many rules, and I_ feel like __he should be punishing __me?"_

            "James was the exact same way," Heather muttered.

            "A naturally born leader," Dumbledore answered.  "He is not even aware that he is doing it, I don't think.  He could make you believe the sky was yellow, and then make you think you were a fool for not knowing it sooner.  James did have if too, but not as strong as he does, and not as young."

            "He's too young for everything he has to face," McGonagall said sadly.  

            Suddenly the portrait opened again, but they saw nothing once more.  Quiet, there was not sound in the room to announce Harry's return.  "He never left," Severus said, glaring at the portrait that was swinging closed.

            Harry ran from the room, blinking tears out of his eyes.  He had stayed to see if they would talk about what the things they weren't telling him.  He knew they were holding things back.  Instead, he had heard things he didn't want to know.

            _'Yellow sky?  I don't do that!  Please, no, I don't want power over people.  I don't want them to follow me.' _

            His feet took the familiar path.  He wasn't paying attention to where he was going.  However it didn't surprise him that his feet had taken him outside.  He took of the cloak.  What was the point?  They knew he was out.  Lighting his wand, he walked to the side of the lake.  Faint golden streaks of dawn touched the horizon, but a light was still needed.  

            He kneeled beside the stones, and watched his lightning bolt and Ginny's rose glow red and gold faintly in the predawn light.  

            Grief washed over him.  Anger, guilt, pain, could be stored, made useful later.  But grief?  He clutched his wand, channeling the grief through it, not knowing what it would do, and not caring.  It began to glow, not the red he had been expecting, but a soft gold.  A flower formed on the tip of the wand, and he stared at it.  Picking it up, he laid it between the stones.  

            He watched as the petals began to fall from it, without a magical source to sustain it.  One by one, they hit the ground, and though he could have stopped it, he didn't.  There he stayed until morning really began.  He hadn't been able to help Elizabeth, but he was one step closer to stopping Voldemort for good.

            _'You may be closer to me, Voldemort, but that means I am also closer to you.'_

            The Professors watched soundlessly out the window at the boy who sat and stared at something he couldn't change.  The same thoughts on all of their minds.  He was too young.  He had no choice.  Neither did they.  They were one step closer to the end.

            A week passed.  Elizabeth's mother went home.  Word of what had happened spread quickly.  Harry said nothing about it; he acted like nothing had happened.  Except if he asked you to do something, and you were about to do it or agree with him, he would suddenly withdraw his request, and grow silent.

            Ginny, being as observant as she was, took note of this right away.  She stored the information in the back of her mind, saving it for when it was useful.

            Harry and Ron walked into Divination, and surprising Ron, Harry took a seat in the front of the classroom.  Professor Trelawney entered not too long after.  

            "Welcome class, as you know, today we will be exploring-" she cut off at Harry's raised hand.  "Yes, my dear?"

            "May I ask you about something?"

            "Of course you may.  I saw that we would not get much done in class today."

            "What can you tell me about prophases?"

            "That is a very broad subject.  They come in many forms, and we do not always understand how they work.  They can be about tomorrow, or thousands of years from now.  The language usage will usually tell you the time period in which it will take place.  There have been records of prophases made in languages that the prophet did not even speak.  Prophases made in the past about today will be spoken in today's form or language."

            "What about the people they are about?  Do they have to come true?"

            "Oh yes, they always come true, but words have many meanings.  They do not always come true the way we expect them to."

            "Does it mean anything when they rhyme?  What happens if they are lost?  Could the same prophesy come from two different people?"

            "Slow down child, why the new found curiosity?"

            Harry suddenly clamped down on his lips.  Studying him, she went on.  "A rhyming prophesy usually means that it is not to come true for many year.  The rhyme is an attempt to keep them from getting lost.  Once they are lost, they still come true, but there are few ways of getting them back."

            She lost some of her mystical appeal while she spoke.  Harry had her on a train of fact, not some dreamy story or prediction.  "There have been several reported ways to recover them.  One is to send somebody with the talent into a trance to look for it.  That way requires a lot of magic, but it is the most effective.  There are dark ways that I won't go into.  Another way is the dead, whom some believe go to the same place that prophases come from.  They know them, and if the dead contact, they could tell them to you."  Her eyes narrowed.  "Did the girl who contacted you speak of a prophecy?"

            Harry was so lost in thought he hadn't heard the question.  When he realized what she had asked he jumped.  "What?  No, no she didn't."  Once again he fell into silence, Ron looking at him as though he had grown three heads.

            Harry was silent for the rest of the period, and distracted in charms.  They were learning a Still Charm.  It was tricky little thing that required you to convince gravity to hold something for you.  It required a fancy grip and swing.  Harry's mind really wasn't on it as he attempted the charm. 

            He swung his wrist, and felt his blood suddenly race and heat.  A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he felt the effects of staying up for most of the night.  His wand had fallen from his hand and he bent down to pick it up.

            "Congratulations!  Mr. Potter has done it!"  Harry jerked up to see that the large orb that had been floating was now planted firmly on the ground.  He stared at it in surprise.  Maybe he should try not sleeping more often.

            Ginny sat in history, and taking a deep breath raised her hand.  The only person she had known to ever interrupt Professor Binns was Hermione.  The ghost looked up at her.  "What is it?"

            She painted her face with the most innocent smile she had.  "Professor, I know that all of this will be on the test, but I was wondering if you could tell us about the founding of our school.  It seems to me that we should learn more about our own history, and I could think of nobody more suited to tell it they you."

            The class perked up, this was somewhat interesting.  What had inspired the quietest member of their class to bring this up?

            "I see no harm in that," the ghost said slowly.

            Ginny gave a mental cheer of triumph.  A new message in her dream the night before had led her to believe that some answers might be here.  _'Of Hogwarts founders four, the bloodline must remain pure.'_

            "The school was founded by the four most powerful witches and wizards of the day, their names reflected in the school houses. Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Godric Gryffindor.  Magic was very unexplored, they knew how to use very little of it.  That was why they wanted to start a school.  To teach what they knew, find out what the others knew, and protect themselves from those who sought to kill them. 

            "The four founders where very different, and chose the members of their house by their qualities.  Salazar Slytherin was good in planning, doing things in secret, and being all around sly.  Rowena Ravenclaw was the scholar among them.  She had a thirst for knowledge that could never be quenched.  Helga Hufflepuff was a charming young lady, very loyal to her three friends.  She was said to read palms and tell fortunes.  Gryffindor was a daring man.  He believed above all in duty and honor.  

            "The school prospered for many years.  But naturally the differences in personalities called for problems between the followers.  Slytherin's belief that children of Muggle heritage were not worthy of the school set him apart, and that is what we believe brought on the Chamber of Secrets.  Others think this was a result of the myth known as Helga's Last Act.  But there was more then just that to set the founders apart.  

            "Hufflepuff living in a dream world made her and the practical Ravenclaw have squabbles, but most of the time the women usually got along.  Gryffindor and Slytherin did not.  They were much alike and at the same time too different.  Slytherin favoring sly and cunning ways, verses Gryffindor who believe in doing exactly as you said you would.  It came to near war between the too, and both of their children carried it on.  Their houses also kept up the rivalry, which you are all aware off.  You will find that the Sorting hat very rarely puts a person with Muggle parents in the Slytherin house, because the Sorting hat follows what the founders would have done.

            "There was a huge fight between Godric and Slytherin, not only with words, but violence.  Godric came very near to killing Salazar, and it is said that that was when Salazar Slytherin left the school.  Realizing what they had done, the three remaining founders put their differences behind them and continued on.  A few years from then, Salazar sent his son to the school.  Needless to say it shocked the others, all three of which had a child in schooling at that point.  Salazar however, never returned."

            Ginny's hand shot back in the air, and she didn't wait for him to call on her before she asked her question.  "I have heard somewhere of Helga's Last Act before.  What is it about?"

            "That is a myth, and has no purpose in this room-"

            "You thought the Chamber of Secrets was a myth," Ginny interrupted, her eyes narrowing.  "And that's more real then I'd like to remember."

            "School history is taught in fifth year."  With that, he continued to read his lecture from the huge textbook and ignored any further protest from Ginny.  Muttering under her breath, she hit the desk with her fist, unaware of her year mates staring at her.  At least she was one step closer.  

_(A/N:  First off, a very HUGE thank you to my best friend Ally, to whom I owe this chapter.  I am stuck in PA, at my grandparents' house, and didn't have any of the information I needed to write this chapter.  Ally, being the best person in the world, E-mailed me everything I needed.  She practically rewrote the second book for me.  I really owe her.  Anybody who wants to send Ally a thank you note, write it in the reviews, (she reads them) or look under Gwen Oshino to find her E-mail.  (Gwen Oshino is a character that you will meet in book six.)  Second, a very big sorry to all members of the Sal Fan Club who did not get a notice about this chapter and may not for the few following it.  My E-mail list is at home, and as I am in PA, I don't have access to it.  I may be able to get a hold of it by Monday, but don't count on it.  Thanks for reading!) _


	26. Nightmares

Chapter 26 Nightmares 

            When Harry walked into the Great Hall that evening, Ginny was waiting for him.  She glanced at the table, then grabbed his arm and dragged him away to a corner of the room, ignoring the stares from the fellow students.

            "I haven't had a chance to talk to you alone all day," she whispered.

            He ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed.  "I know that, but do you really think this is the best place?"

            "Better then most.  They're staring at us, but at least they won't over hear.  I got another verse last night.  And just for the record, this one was definitely female, while all the others I couldn't tell."

            Harry nodded.  "And what did it say?"

            " '_Of Hogwarts founders four, the blood line must remain pure.'  So today in history, I asked about the founding of Hogwarts."  Quickly she related what Professor Binns had told her in history._

            "So what does it mean?"

            "Think about it Harry.  There's no way that I am _making this prophesy.  I'm no prophet, so therefore it had to have been made before.  Helga Hufflepuff was known to read palms.  Then this 'Helga's Last Act' thing, makes me think that it would have something to do with her talents.  Where have I heard of Helga's Last Act before?"_

            "That painting, in Hogsmeade, remember?"

            She grinned.  "That's right."

            "Okay, well like we talked about, I asked about prophesies in Divination today."  He relayed everything that he had learned.  "I agree that there is no way that you are making this prophesy.  They come all at once, and not in dreams.  The thing is, Elizabeth proved that one of the ways that the dead contact us is through our dreams.  So I think that has to be how you are getting these verses."

            "It rhymes because it wasn't to come true for a very long time.  That only makes my theory even better."

            Harry nodded.  "The thing is, these messages come so slowly."

            "Good thing they do," she interrupted,  "or else I would have bags under my eyes like you wouldn't believe.  The message only comes when I'm having a nightmare.  Always that grave, and I can't read the name."  She shuddered, and Harry laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

            "Well, they come too slowly for my comfort, if there is stuff about me in there.  But if this prophesy is already made, there may be some record of it somewhere."

            "And under Helga's Last Act is where we should start.  We can go right after-"

            "No!" he said quietly yet forcefully.  

            Ginny looked up again surprised, and suddenly took in his appearance again.  There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked stained.  "I don't want Ron or Hermione to know _anything.  And I mean nothing.  They don't need to be involved in this."  He left the "__and I wish you didn't either," off, but he said just as much in the way he looked at her._

            "Harry," she said softly, more conscious then ever of the eyes on them.  "You haven't been sleeping, is everything alright?"

            He shook his head, and Ginny was willing to bet had she been in his position at that moment she'd have been in tears already.  "Just nightmares, no big deal.  Promise me, you won't let them know.  We can do our research at night, or when they are busy."

            "I promise," she paused.  "Harry, what happened when you snuck into that staff meeting?  I know about the dream, and you telling Dumbledore, but what did they say when they thought you were gone that has you so upset?"

            Harry looked around, checking that nobody could hear.  For a moment, the people watching them suddenly found something else to do, but their eyes returned as soon as he looked at her again.  "Rose, do I," he paused, looking for the right words.  "Do I, make you do things?"

            "What?" she asked, taken by surprise.

            "They, they said, that, that I could tell you the sky is yellow, then make you think you were a fool for not knowing sooner." 

            "Who said that?"

            "Dumbledore."

            She tried not to laugh at him.  He was upset.  She shouldn't laugh.  She bit her lip before speaking.  "Harry, you are a leader.  It's built in you.  I know what they are talking about.  Sometimes when something is important, you get this feeling about you.  It makes me feel like you are a lot older then your age.  I think it has the same affect on the adults.  It would bother them, I'm sure; to have a fourteen-year-old make them feel like children.  But no, Harry, you have never made me do anything I didn't want to do, or them.  You just don't let them treat you like a child.  So that is why every time you make a request you take it back."

            "So I don't force people to do things?"

            "I'm sure you could, and would if it was important enough, but you don't do it on a regular basis.  It's nothing to be upset about.  In fact, if you weren't a leader we would all be in very big trouble, I think."

            Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.  "Come on, if I don't put some food in you, you are going to fall over.  You never eat enough."  Ginny grabbed Harry by the arm and plopped him beside her.

            Ron watched as Ginny led Harry off the corner of the room.  Ginny positioned herself so that she would see anybody who came near.  "What are they talking about?" he asked Hermione.

            She glanced over at them, then turned her stern look on Ron.  "I don't read lips, Pawn."  As he had started to always use her nickname, she felt it only right to use his.  

He sighed before returning to his food.  "I don't see why they always have to leave us out of everything.  She's my sister, and he's my best friend."  

"Well, in my opinion, if Harry doesn't need us, then we shouldn't push it.  It doesn't upset me to have a year off for once."

"But what if he does need us and just won't come to us?  You know he hates to involve us in anything that has to do with You Know Who.  Her name is on that rock!  But if I bring up anything about the subject, he gets all quiet and stares of in space."

"Why do you thing Rose is involved in it?  She may be your sister, but she has a head on her shoulders too.  Even if he didn't come to us, if he needed us, Rose would tell us.  She," Hermione changed what she was going to say, remembering whom she was talking to, "cares too much for him to let him get in over his head."

"I still don't have too like it."

Hermione looked up at him.  His face was etched with worry and his blue eyes made such a sharp contrast to his red hair that it still made her blink.  _'Why does he have to be so damn cute?'  She stopped the train of thought before it could continue.  "No you don't, but you have to live with it."_

When Ginny and Harry sat down, neither Ron nor Hermione said a word about their secret conversation.  Harry looked about ready to fall asleep on the table when a giant owl swooped in one of the high windows.  It flew to Harry, and with surprise he grabbed the letter off of it. 

"It's from Tony," he said with surprise.  "Dear Harry, we have a free weekend, if you are not already busy, we'd like to have a practice.  We understand if your studies prevent you from complying.  Send us a reply, a.s.a.p.  Signed, all of us."

"We have a house team practice on Saturday, but you are not doing anything on Sunday, though it is a Hogsmeade trip."

 "So much for sleeping in," he muttered.  "Hand me a quill Hermione, you always have one."  She pulled one from her pocket, along with some ink.

He wrote his response on the back of the first letter.  _Tony, Tiffany, Chuck, Brad, Chad, Lad.  I'll be in Hogsmeade on Sunday; you can pick me up there.  I need to tell Professor Dumbledore, but it shouldn't be a problem.  Don't blame me if I'm dead on my feet.  I have a house team practice on Saturday, and you're stealing my only sleeping opportunity.  Rose may beat you with a stick; she's already saying that I don't eat or sleep enough.  Your friend, Harry._

He handed it back to the owl, and it took off.  Yawning, he stood and walked over to the staff table.  They turned and looked at him, but staring eyes didn't bother Harry anymore.  It would never stop, so he had better get used to it.  "The team wants to practice on Sunday.  I told them to pick me up at Hogsmeade.  I don't know when I'll be back, but I won't let them keep me from class."

Harry suppressed another yawn as Dumbledore nodded.  "I hope you have fun.  Try not to work yourself too hard."

Harry walked out of the hall.  Maybe he could catch some sleep beside the fire before he had to do his homework.

Ginny felt her necklace cool as Harry walked away.  He yawned and Ginny sighed.  Maybe she should start making him a sleeping potion more often.  "Sal, what's wrong with him?"

"Jussst like he sssaid, Rossse.  Nightmaresss.  Not unlike the way you have when you get thossse messssssagesss."

"He isn't getting them too, is he?"

Sally shook her head, and sighed.  "He'll be alright if we ssslip him sssome sssleeping potion once a week."  

"I suppose-"

"Look, if you don't include us in everything," Ron interrupted her, "that's fine, but could you kindly not talk about it while I'm here and make me wonder what the hell is going on with my best friend and sister?"  He didn't look angry, more like disappointed and worried.  

Ginny grinned to herself.  With Fred and George encouraging her to get it more trouble, it was easy to forget how much Ron cared.  She kissed him on the cheek, which surprised him.  "You're the best brother and girl could ask for, Ronald, even if you do worry too much.  See you both later."

Ron stared at her as she left, before shaking his head and returning to his dinner once more, which had long since gone cold.  Hermione limited herself to a smirk.

Ginny walked into the common room, which wasn't crowded because most of the house was at dinner.  She spotted Harry; already sound asleep on a couch beside the fire.  Smiling to herself, she found a blanket and tucked it around him, then removed his glasses.  He slept through it all, and she sat down beside him.

She tried not to stare, knowing she was failing miserably.  He looked so innocent asleep, like a child.  Her necklace was pleasantly warm on her chest.  She made herself move to the other side of the couch, putting plenty of distance between them, before picking up a book and attempting to read.  However that was very hard to do when the sound of his breathing kept distracting her.

With a frustrated sigh, she resorted to staring at the book and letting her mind wander.   _'I could be doing some research now.  Well it doesn't need to be done this instant.  Really.  He is so gorgeous.  That has nothing to do with why I don't want to research.  It is late, and the library will be cold.  It might alert Hermione and Ron to what we were doing.  I'm making excuses to myself, how pathetic is that? I know very well that the fact to Harry is asleep beside me is what it keeping me here.'_

He stirred, and she looked over at him.  He groaned softly, and she sighed.  _'Nightmares, just like the ones I get when they leave me a message.'  She had her suspicions on who _they_ were, but she never brought it up.  __'And now the voice in my head is female, when before I was almost sure it was both.  So did one of them leave me to contact him?  Then why haven't they? Just nightmares.  Wouldn't surprise me if he was fighting him off with everything he had, after Elizabeth.'  She blinked.  That could very well be exactly what he was doing.  She had learned to embrace it, and that had made the nightmares decrease slightly.  If Harry were fighting it, even unconsciously, then it would only make it worse._

_'He could talk to Elizabeth, she showed herself.'  She formed a plan in her head.  It might work.  That was when Harry began to thrash, and she reached over and shook him._

"Harry, come on, wake up."  His eyes blinked open.  "You were having a nightmare."

"Rose?"  He squinted at her, and she quickly handed him his glasses. 

He looked around, seeming have forgotten where he was.  Then he looked down at the blanket, and back at her.

Ginny fought the blush with everything she had.  "I had hoped you would get some restful sleep.  Hoped in vain, it seems."

He yawned.  "Thanks, I'll be alright.  I'll just rest without falling asleep."  He settled back into the couch and stared at the flames.  Ginny pulled her sewing out of her bag, and started to mend the hem in an old hat of Fred's.  She didn't want to know what had put the rip there to start. 

Harry stayed silent, and Ginny didn't push conversation.  More people started to filter in, but it didn't bother them.  Ron and Hermione sat across from them, and held the silence.  

It wasn't too long before Ginny drifted asleep.  Harry smiled at her, and took the sewing out of her hands.  She reacted by slumping up against him, and he only smiled again.  She was one of the few people he knew who looked no different asleep then awake.  Seamus was another one, and Harry had an idea that was because Seamus was just as much a troublemaker in his dreams as he was awake.   

Harry started to finish the mending where Ginny left off.  He had mended enough clothing at the Dursleys' to know something about sewing.  Time passed, and Harry let it.  With Ginny asleep against him, nobody talking to him, the sound of happy voices in the background, and the mind-drifting task of sewing, he was very peaceful.  It was almost good enough to pass for sleep.  

He never noticed Ginny's tears until his sleeve was wet.

Ginny sat on knees in front of the grave.  She was dreaming and she knew it, that was the sensation that always came with these dreams.  Knowing she wouldn't be able to read the name on the grave, she looked around instead.  As she did, the sensation of being somebody else faded, and she felt like herself.  That had never happened.  She didn't even wait for the voice to speak.

            "I know you are there!" she called.  "I understand now, I know.  I will find the prophesy, I will.  Talk to me.  Tell me who you are."

            There was no answer for a moment.  "You already know, don't you?"  Ginny jerked around to face somebody who looked too much like her for her comfort.

            "Lily."

            Lily smiled, "Ginny.  You are a bright girl, I was almost sure you would figure it out."

            "Why all of this?" She went to gesture to the grave, but it was no longer there.  "Why not just come to me from the start?"

            "We couldn't at first.  Ever since that little diary problem, you unconsciously guard you self.  That took some time to get around, and once our voice could get through, we decided to just use that.  You were figuring it out, and even when we could have gotten in, we saw no need."

            "Why me, and not Harry?  Even if he is fighting James now, he wouldn't have before Elizabeth."

            Lily grinned.  "You _are a bright one.  Which is why I would have thought you had figured that one out."_

            "Harry had to include me, if I was the one getting them.  It was to make sure he didn't take everything on himself."  Lily nodded, looking almost proud.  "Why am I always at that grave?"

            Lily hesitated, than answered slowly.  "There is a lot I can not tell you.  If you learn too much, you simply will not wake.  To contact you, you must be upset, or worked up about something.  That grave is what upsets you."

            "But I've never seen one like it."

            "You don't have too."

            "Okay, another question.  How is it that you can keep coming back, when Elizabeth could only come once?"

            "Simple, really.  That young girl had tucked only a tiny bit of her power away for this.  James and I tucked all of it.  Voldemort didn't drain our power, only killed us.  It will run out, which is why if you can find the prophesy, then we will stop coming to you.  You will need us later."

            "Why is James trying to get to Harry?"

            Lily closed her mouth and stared.  "I wish you to wake," was all she said.

            "Alright then."  Ginny calmed her heart, and sorted through her mind what she wished to ask next.  "Why can't you just tell me the prophesy now?"

            Lily blinked.  "I don't know it.  Most of our magic went into _finding a verse.  Otherwise we would have given them in order."_

            Ginny was sure that there were more important questions to ask, but they failed her at the moment.  "Are you happy?"

            Lily smiled.  "Oh, I do like you.  James and I are not in a place of time.  You see, it may have been years since our death there, but there is no time here.  We are happy, yes, but in a sense, we are not here to be happy.  It is too hard to explain."

            "I-" Ginny realized there were tears leaking from her eyes.  She couldn't say what she wanted to, she _couldn't. _

            "You are upset, Rose, and I would walk foreword to comfort you, but I am not sure what would happen if I touch you."

            "H- how did you know my nickname?"

            Lily smiled.  "Because it is what Harry calls you.  I know everything in your head and his."

            "Then you know," Ginny said looking at the floor, trying to ignore the fact that there was nothing there.  Not just no floor, _nothing._

            "About what?  Your feelings for my son?"

            Ginny felt herself turn red, and the tears were falling from her.  She couldn't understand why she was crying.  "Ginny, listen.  He needs you.  That's all there is too it.  That you love him only makes that easier.  He hates the fact that he needs you.  It tears him up.  But if you love him, it only makes is harder for him to push you away.  It's nothing to be upset about.  You are too young to be upset about it."

            "I know that, but I'm also to young to feel this strongly for somebody."

            Lily bit her lip.  "I wish you to wake.  But do not worry too much about it.  Everything will turn out all right.  You must go now, and take Harry a message for me.  Tell him that I love him more then anything and I am more proud of him then he could ever know.  His father too."

            Harry was about to panic, because Ginny _wouldn't_ wake up.  "Gods, Ginny stop messing around!"  Tears leaked from behind her closed eyes and she sobbed, but fell limply when he stopped shaking her.  

            Suddenly, she gasped, and sat up straight.  She looked around, her eyes frightened.  She grabbed hold of Harry, and then burst in to tears.  Hermione grabbed Ron to keep him from rushing to her.

            "Ginny!  Ginny what is it?  Shush, it's okay."  Harry had no idea _what_ was okay, but he would never be able to get a word out of her if she didn't stop sobbing.

            "Harry!"  Apparently he was wrong.  "I called her and she came, I talked to her!"  She stopped talking and just sobbed.  

That was not a lot of information, but Harry could put two and two together and get four.  "C'm on, Rose," he said softly.  He helped her to stand.  He wrapped the blanket around her; she was shaking from head to toe.  "Come on, it's okay, I'm here."  Slowly they made their way to the girl's stairway.  Harry more carrying her than anything, he led them up to the third year's dorm.

Opening the door, there was already a pair of girls present.  Harry knew one by the name of Samantha, but he didn't know much more then that.  Their eyes went wide at the sight of him, and wider at Ginny crying in his arms.  "Could you please leave?" he asked quietly.  

Nodding, the girl that Harry didn't know dragged Samantha out by the arm.  Harry laid Ginny down on her bed, and sat down beside her.  "Harry, I'm so sorry," she said between her sobs.

"Come on, Rose, whatever it was I already forgive you for it."  That was true.  If she was this upset he would forgive her of anything short of murder.  "Now stop crying, I'm here, and everything will be fine."

She only sobbed harder and crawled over to him.  Harry carefully placed his arms around her, wondering why he was afraid to touch her now when he didn't mind her sleeping on him before.  

Slowly but surely, Ginny stopped crying.  When she pulled away from him, she blushed.  "See, everything is fine.  Now tell me what's wrong."

"I had the dream again, and before the voice could come, I called out to it."  She paused to take a deep breath.  "I had already thought I knew who it was.  I didn't want to tell you, because I thought it would upset you.  But she was there Harry.  She came and talked to me.  It was so real!"

Harry saw the tears coming again, and grabbed her before they could.  "Don't cry, Rose, I hate seeing you so upset.  Don't cry."  

Suppressing a gasp of surprise at the way he held her, Ginny swallowed the tears again.  "Now slow down, Rose.  Who came?"

"Your mother," she whispered.  He didn't drop her, or push her away, but she felt the shock in the way every muscle in his body went tense.  Ginny pulled away to look him in the eyes, which were open and scared.  "It was Lily and James talking to me, but James has been trying to contact you, that is why you are having nightmares, but after Elizabeth, you are fighting him.  So it was only Lily who talked to me.  They only use their voices at first because I was blocking them too, and that was all they could get through to me."

His expression didn't change, and Ginny took the opportunity to tell him everything Lily had said, with some things left out of course.  When she had told him almost everything, his eyes still had not changed.

"Why?" he asked, his voice wavering.

            "Do you mean why were they coming to me?  Because they didn't want you to have to do it all by yourself, and if they came to me, you had no choice.  I'm sorry, really.  She said that she wouldn't come anymore, because we are going look for the prophesy by ourselves.  She said the magic would wear off eventually, and that she would save it for when it was needed."

            "I know, I know, you said."  Harry looked down, and realized that he was clutching the ring.  Forcing himself, he let it go.  It fell to his chest, and suddenly seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. 

            Muttering again how sorry she was, Ginny reached out and picked up the ring.  He had never let anybody else touch it, but somehow, it didn't bother him.  She took his hand, and pressed the ring against it, then pressed his hand against the left side of his chest.  

            It was a simple gesture, and an odd one, but it spoke volumes to what Harry was feeling.  He wondered how long it had been since he had cried, but suddenly Ginny was comforting him.

            It was an hour later when Harry walked out of Ginny's dorm.   His lack of sleep showed now more then ever.  As he walked down, panic met him.  "Harry, something is wrong with that snake!"

            Harry looked down to see Sally, coming at him with a speed he did not think possible.  She slithered up him, and he enveloped her in a hug.  "Harry, never do that to me again!  Both of you, in one room, so messed up I thought you would both jump out the window, and I COULD NOT GET IN!! You have NO IDEA how _awful_ that was to feel, and when I tried to tell them to let me in the door, they all started screaming and running.  What happened?"

            Harry looked up at the common room, which was staring shocked at Sally and him.  "Just for the record," Harry said slowly.  "If Sally is acting like that, it probably means she needs to get to either Ginny or I, and you have to let her to us."

            "Where's Ginny?" Ron asked.  "What was she crying about?"

            "She is upstairs asleep, and she had a nightmare about Voldemort and me, needless to say I did come out with only a scratch this time."  That was the story they had come up with.

            Ron saw a lie, but when he looked closer at Harry's eyes, he stopped.  Harry had been crying.  Ron knew it took a lot to push his friend, and now more then ever, but when he did cry, it usually had to do with one of two things, people he cared about, or his parents.  They were related, but it didn't matter.  Ron didn't know which it was this time, and he didn't want to.   _'Listen to Booky for once you idiot.  You are getting a break, and you are not needed.  Enjoy it and stay ready for when you _are_ needed.'_

            Harry sat down on a chair, and started to have a long conversation with Sally, telling her everything that had happened.

            Ginny pulled out her diary.  She may not have told everything to Harry, but she wrote it all down.  She noted that tears were smearing the ink, but she tried to ignore it.  _'I'm an idiot.  Why him?  You had to pick him.  The last person on the planet to look at you that way.  You know he will always see you as his best friends' little sister.  But when he held me, oh it hurts.'_  

She set the diary down and pushed her face into the pillow.  _'He held me, and spoke to me, and everything was all right, or would be.  Pull it together!  You are only thirteen, and this isn't a bloody romance novel!  He is fighting a war, and you are only here to make sure he survives it!  Keep your eyes on that goal.  It will go away, give it time, and it will go away.  Ignore it, and it will go away.  It will go away, it will go away.  No it won't, I'll die first.'_  That was the last thought she had before exhaustion took over her.


	27. Smile For Me

Chapter 27

Smile for Me

Harry laid down and shut his eyes. Fighting it was he? No more. There was nothing he could think he wanted more. How could he fight, even unconsciously, his heart's desire?

"You will do fine, Harry, jussst relax."

"I'm trying, but how would you feel if you knew that your dead father was going to contact you in your sleep?"

"Hold still."

He felt it, Sally changing his emotions again. Suddenly, he was relaxed. "Should you really be doing that?" he mumbled, sleep was about to take over. He was so tired.

"No, not really. I won't let anybody wake you. Go to sssle-" Harry never heard her finish the word. 

Suddenly he was in the Great Hall. Harry didn't feel like himself. He was vaguely aware that he was dreaming, but it didn't bother him. 

It was midnight at least, but the entire student body sat at the house tables. Harry didn't recognize them. A small table was pushed up against the wall. At it sat Snape, looking older and staring at something he held in his hand. Beside the table, against the wall, leaned a person that Harry didn't recognize. He stood with his arms folded, silvery hair in his eyes, and the worry didn't look right on his face. 

Harry was pacing, and then he sat down in his chair beside Snape. In only a moment he stood and started pacing again. He heard the door behind him open. His heart flew into his throat as he whipped around. 

The world around him dissolved away. Coming through the door was a person who looked too much like Harry for his comfort. The heart that had flown into his throat suddenly plummeted down to the bottom of his stomach. 

James walked silently forward, stopping a few feet short of where Harry stood. Harry looked up to meet those warm brown eyes, and felt his knees give out. He sat abruptly on the floor, and couldn't find the strength to stand again. He watched through misted eyes as James sat down cross-legged in front of him. James smiled again, and Harry felt the warm tears running down his cheeks. 

__

'Say something, please say something,' Harry thought to himself. Words would not ever describe what he felt at that moment.

"Hello, Harry."

He had heard that voice before. Shouting for his mother to run. Shouting for her to save him. "No matter how much I want to, Harry, I can not sit here all night."

Harry didn't reply. Instead he pulled his knees up to his chest and stared at his father. He wanted nothing more then to sit there and stare forever. 

"I don't know what happens if I touch you," James said with a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "What do you say we find out? Lily said not to, but that's never stopped me before."

Slowly, still half hiding behind his knees, Harry reached out. James reached up and grabbed his hand. It was an unusual feeling. There was no heat, no feel of skin, only pressure where his father's hand was. Harry pulled back as if burned.

James' face was concerned. "It didn't hurt did it? I didn't mean to hurt you."

Harry didn't respond for a moment, and then as fast as lightning, rushed to his father. James only had time for a surprised "umpf" as Harry landed on him. Harry curled up on his lap, and began to sob. James smiled slightly, holding Harry and speaking softly to him as though he were a fussing baby.

It took a while for Harry to cry himself out, but James waited patiently. When he was silent, James helped him sit up. "Come on, let me look at you. Well, I did curse you with that hair, but at least you got you mother's eyes. I loved her eyes. Now let me see you smile."

Harry tried to smile as best he could. "That's not a smile, come on. Don't make me tickle you. If you are just like me, I know where you're ticklish." Harry smiled, trying to guard his sides from James. "There we are, yes, you have my smile too. It's a good thing your father is so damn good looking or you would be out of luck."

Harry laughed very slightly. "Sirius said you were always full of yourself."

"Did he now, well he's one to talk. He teased every thing that had pretty eyes and legs. One of his favorite games was to make Heather blush. The only person who didn't let him get away with it was Lily."

Harry pulled away so he was no longer touching James. The sensation of pressure with no feeling was getting to him. Suddenly, he seemed to remember why they were there. "You have to tell me something. What is it?"

"Oh, right, that. Okay, how do I start this one?"

James suddenly started to become misty. "SHIT! Harry, listen quick. Find my journals, it's all in there. The lion statue, you have to let it test your blood. You have to let-" He was fading, and his voice too.

"I love you dad!" Harry interrupted him.

James stopped and smiled. "I love you too Har-"

He was gone, and Harry felt like he was falling. He sat up with a gasp, to see Ron standing over him. "You were thrashing around, and when I went to wake you, your snake tried to bite me," Ron explained.

Harry sucked a gulp of air he hadn't realized he had been denying himself until his lungs hurt. "Sal, Ginny." He didn't realize it had been in English.

"On her way." At that moment the door opened.

"Ginny!" Ron hissed. "What are you doing in here?"

Ginny gave him a glare that could have frozen fire. Then she turned her eyes on Harry and Sally. It was dawning on Harry what had really just happened, and although he may have cried himself out where ever his dream had taken place, he hadn't here, and he felt the tears welling up in his eyes. 

Ginny must have seen them. She walked over and sat down on Harry's bed. "Go back to sleep Ron."

"What? No way!"

"Do it, Ron," Harry said, his voice hoarse. Harry kept his head down, but Ron saw the drops of water hitting the blanket.

"Take care of him, Ginny." Ron pulled the hangings closed to Harry's bed and walked back to his own. _'A year off my ass.'_

Ginny placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Tell me about it."

"All I found out was that everything was in his journals. He said that I had to find the lion statue and let it, I think he said test the blood. I wasted most of our time crying. It's all my fault."

"Shush, nonsense. It's alright." He hid his face in the blankets. "Come on, smile for me."

Harry jerked up and peered at her through shining green eyes. Ginny reached out and wiped a tear from his cheek, then blushed and hoped he didn't notice.

"You should go, you don't want to be caught in here. Go."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," he said laying down and turning his back to her. "Hurry, before somebody wakes up."

Biting her lip, Ginny left the room. _'Stay strong, girl. You are the shoulder for him to lean on.'_

The week that followed that one was the most exhausting weeks Ginny had ever had. Nightly Sally was calling her though their bond to wake Harry from a nightmare. Ginny felt that James was trying to come through again, and Harry was fighting it with all he had, no matter how much he denied it. _'James, let him be. I'll figure it out with what we have.'_

Ginny intended to keep to that promise. When the Hogsmeade trip on Sunday came around, Ginny claimed to be feeling under the weather. In her opinion, it worked the best for everyone. Harry got to get away from everything and fly, even if he was hardly able to keep his eyes open. Hermione had a chance to be alone with Ron. And Ginny had a chance to do some research without raising suspicion. 

Checking out several books on the founding of Hogwarts, she went back to the common room and settled into a seat by the fire. 

__

Helga Hufflepuff-

Born in what is now known as France, Helga showed signs of great talent early on in life. She was recorded when young to plant a seed and then sit there and watch it. By sunset the plant would have sprouted and began to flower...

Patiently, Ginny read through, looking for anything useful. She found various hints about Helga's ability with the inner eye, but nothing important. Suddenly, a page caught her eye.

__

However, only five years after the school was running, Helga performed an act which burned all of her magical ability out of her. This is known to many as Helga's Last Act, which is a tale surrounded in rumor. However, after the loss of her magic, Helga tended to adopt children with little magical talent into her house, having a pity for them that nobody else could understand.

With a sigh, Ginny put the book down and picked up the next. But before she discovered much, she fell asleep on it. Jerking awake to the sound of voices, she quickly gather her books up and rushed them upstairs. Shoving them under her bed, she fell onto her bed, and this time fell asleep in earnest.

As the next few days crawled by, Harry did his best to take it with his head held high. After a while, he didn't have to act, and he actually did feel better. But when the list came around for who was signing up to stay for Christmas, Harry was surprised. December had sneaked up on him. 

At the top of the list, there was a note written in Heather's handwriting. _The Christmas dance is to be held the day before the students leave, so those of you who go home do not need to miss it._

The notice came as a reality check to Harry. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he had visited Heather, or Hagrid for that matter. Writing them a note, he asked if they could all meet for lunch. An afternoon with friends might do him some good.

After his visit with James, it had been hard to take everything in stride. He had worked hard at it, but still his mind seemed to be on one track. It always went back to that meeting. He hadn't started looking for any lion statue or journals, even though a little voice in the back of his head whispered to him. 

__

'Why. This is the answer to the question of Why. This is how they are all connected. Don't you want to know?'

'What if I don't?' He answered the voice._ 'There's no reason it can't wait until after Christmas anyway. If I've gone this long, I can wait a little longer.'_

The day of the planed meeting, the first snow fell on the Hogwarts ground. The walked toward Hagrid's cabin slowly. Grinning to himself, Harry reached down and picked up a handful of snow. Rolling it into a ball, he launched it at the back of Ginny's head.

Ginny felt the wet cold hit her, and jumped. She jerked around to see Harry grinning sheepishly. "Oh, you better move, Potter, because I am going to make you regret the day you were born."

With a smirk, Harry took off at a run for Hagrid's. Grabbing some snow, Ginny ran after him. He knocked quickly on Hagrid's door, and she threw her weapon. At that moment the door opened, and the snowball hit Hagrid smack on the face.

Ginny's hands flew up to hide her mouth. Harry looked up at Hagrid's face which was now soaked. "Do you want to get her or should I?" 

"Don yeh worry, Harry, I'll get 'er."

"Heather! Help they're teaming up against me!"

Heather ran to the door and out into the snow. "This means WAR! Girls against boys!" A huge black dog bounded out of the cabin, and joined right in. 

"Sparky! We need a big strong dog to protect us!" Ginny shouted. 

Giving her what could only be identified as a smirk, Sirius in dog form slinked towards her. 

"Traitor!" Harry shouted from behind the barrier of snow that he, Ron, and Hagrid had hastily constructed. 

Sirius stopped, and looked back and forth between the sides as though unsure which to pick. Turning his back on the girls, though they couldn't see it, he winked at the boys, then turned back to face the girls. 

He bent over and filled his mouth with snow. Then took off at a run toward Heather. She screamed and he pushed her over and sat on her, then started laughing as he started to lick her face.

"Get off of me, you great lump! Your tongue is freezing!" The boys on the other side of the battle field were rolling on the ground laughing.

Heather finally succeeded in pushing Sirius off of her, though it had more to do with Sirius moving then her actually pushing him. "You back-stabbing sneak."

The dog panted, and then winked. Filling his mouth with snow again, he suddenly took off with amazing speed at Harry. Ginny had to lean against Hermione to keep her up she was laughing so hard. When Sirius moved back into the middle of the battle field, Heather stood. "Forget boys against girls, it's all against dog!"

Sirius only had time for a grin at Heather before he was being covered with snowballs from every direction.

The hour that followed was very cold and wet. When they finally arrived in Hagrid's cabin, cups of steaming tea was pushed in everybody's hands. The windows were blackened with a charm by Heather, and Sirius transformed into his real form. Using a towel that Hagrid threw at him, he began to vigorously dry is dripping hair.

Just as Harry was about to point out that they were a chair short, Sirus walked over to Heather. Picking her up easily, he sat down on his chair and set her back down on his lap. Hermione and Ron looked startled, but Harry and Ginny just looked at each other and smiled.

"Sirius, you are wet from head to toe."

"Serves you right, for declaring war of me."

"You licked my face, you mutt!"

"And you tasted so good."

Ginny snorted into her tea as Heather's face turned red. Sirius winked at her. _'It really isn't fair that a person can be that sexy. I don't know how Heather puts up with it.'_

"His favorite game was to make Heather blush." Harry said, smiling slightly.

Sirius looked at him oddly. "Who told you that?"

Harry smiled to himself but didn't reply. Ginny thought she had a pretty good idea who had told him that. It was a sign how much better Harry was getting that he could smile about it.

"Yes well, blush or not he is getting me wet." Picking up her wand and muttering a spell, Heather hit Sirius on the head with it, a little harder the necessary.

"So," Hagrid said falling into his chair with a loud 'thunk'. "Yeh all done yer Christmas shoo-in' yet?"

"I am," Ron said with a smile, his hand flying to his pocket. He carried that little box around with him where ever he went. If it was getting on Ginny's nerves, she could only imagine what it was doing to Hermione.

"So am I," Hermione replied.

Harry grinned to himself. "My last one came in last week."

Ginny bit her lip. One of her presents would never be done, but that was it's purpose. She hoped they liked what she had gotten them. She was rather proud of the one she had found for Heather and Sirius. Completely by chance she had stumbled onto it.

"I'm not," Sirius groaned. "I hate shopping."

"You hate shopping! All you do is trot beside me, I do all the work."

Sirius mouthed wordlessly behind her back. He was quite surprised when Heather's hand connected soundly with his right cheek. 

Harry shook his head, rubbing his own cheek in remembrance of a similar slap. "Don't even try, Sirius. I don't know how they do it either." He glanced at Ginny, who responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Careful, Rose," Heather said. "If you do that to often he may bite it off." Behind her Sirius stuck his tongue out and started to wave it around. This time it was his left cheek that he was rubbing.

"You will have to learn Sirius, they have eyes in the backs of their heads. That's what my mom always said when I was little, and she proved it true to many times for my liking."

"Yeah, Pawn, and your bottom was always red for a week after." They laughed at his grimace. 

They stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, laughing. For the most part conversation always avoided unpleasant topics, unless tales from Sirius and Heather's days at school could be counted as such, as they always involved Lily and James. However, Harry was the one to laugh hardest when Heather told the tale of the camping trip in the back of Lily's yard. 

Ginny took note of the way Sirius' arms snaked around Heather's waist and she leaned back into him. Catching Harry's eye, she made a meaningful glance in their direction. Harry looked over and grinned. 

Needless to say, it was with light hearts and wide smiles that they started back to the castle. 

"Who wants to bet on how long it will take for Heather and Sirius to get together?" Ginny asked as they walked across the grounds.

"I give it two more months," Hermione said with a glance back at the cabin.

"What?" Ron asked. "Heather and Sirius?"

"Your a blind wool-brained idiot, Pawn," Hermione said shaking her head.

"I agree with Books, what do you think Harry?"

"Christmas."

"No, not that quickly. It's three weeks away," said Hermione.

"No really I do."

"Would somebody tell me when this started?"

His chair was carved from the largest tree in the forest. Snakes had been carved into it. Gems had been set as the snakes eyes. They wound in and out of each other, biting parts of snakes. Whether they were biting a different snake or themselves was hard to tell, and he really had better things to do then figure it out. It really was a nice chair, and that was the only reason he didn't smash it in his fury. How dare this man question anything he did?

"I want another Wormtail." It was a personal revenge using the man's childhood nickname. It reminded him what had brought him here, how he had betrayed his friends. It kept him in line. "I shouldn't have to explain my reasoning to you, but I will do it for the sake of humoring you. I want another before the Hogwarts students go home for the holiday. Because knowing you, being the pitiful excuse for a man that you are, when I want" vaguely in the back of his mind he was aware that he had almost said need, and he had to show no weaknesses in front of his followers, no needs, "another _during_ their brake, you will bring me back a Hogwarts student."

The man before him shook with fear. Man. It had been years since he himself could be called a man. He smiled at that thought, not noticing the way Peter cringed at his smile. There was a belief that was shared sometimes among his followers, when ever they desided to share anything. _'When the Dark lord smiles, your life flashes before your eyes. May the Dark Lord never smile for me.'_ It was true that Voldemort grinned when he killed. It wasn't the killing that made him smile, it was the pain that always accompanied killing by magic. 

Voldemort lived on pain, be it in himself or another. Pain was nothing to be fought or run from. Pain was to be embraced, but it only worked for a well trained mind like his. That was what made it also a useful tool. These poor excuses for followers did not embrace pain, and that he used to his advantage.

He suddenly remembered the man before him. "Get out of my sight before I decide to give you what you deserve."

Voldemort settled back down in his chair. It really was a nice chair. It looked comfortable, but was not, and he of coarse enjoyed that. His glare swiped the men and now women also in front of him. He hated having them here, but it was required. It ate at him that he needed them. He never let them know that he needed them of coarse, that would ultimately lead to them attempting to use him. But he did, and even if he hated the fact, he put up with it.

As if to add to the sting of needing them at all, only half of them were here. Waiting patiently for him, waiting for him to rise again, was where the rest remained. They came one at a time, more then that would alert the fool who ran that damn school. And Potter. 

He snarled at that thought. Potter. There was a bug which he wished to step on. He would have given up his chair to know how many of the men and women standing with him now wondered if maybe, just _maybe_, the Potter brat was better then him. 

That was not the only reason he needed to eliminate him, and hardly the greatest, but it was another pebble in his shoe. Not painful, a pebble in your shoe, just annoying. There were a number of other pebbles. The fact that Potter had survived murder magic, that was annoying. Not the fact that he had survived, he himself would survive, he was no longer man enough to die like a normal man, but the fact that he had been a new born and survived.

__

'That power was not supposed to show up until he was grown. And it hasn't, it won't. He will be dead before it will.'

Dumbledore was another pebble. He would die, painfully. He had never learned to embrace pain. He was annoying, always helping Potter.

__

'Potter. Harry Potter. It always comes down to Potter. Not a pebble, but a boulder in front of me. He is all that stands between me and-'

"My lord?"

Voldemort snarled at the man who dared to interrupt his thoughts. 

As they listened to 'Wormtail' being yelled at by the Dark Lord, unease swept through the followers at the mention of Hogwarts. Many of them had eyes at Hogwarts, or children. The Dark Lord didn't know that both Potter and Dumbledore were very aware of him. Or at least, the Dark Lord acted like he didn't. How was it their place to tell him, when he knew? He must have known, he was the Dark Lord, was he not? He must have also known a student had already been taken from the school. They had no place to interrupt him in his plans. He was the Dark Lord. If he was pretending to not know, then he had a reason to pretend.

When finished with the man, Voldemort pointed his wand at the ground in front of him. It burst into flame, and he glared at the wand. Oh how he hated that wand. He had always hated it,the fact that he needed it.

There was another reason he wanted another person to drain quickly. It was eating at him, that he was not yet powerful enough to kill with magic. That he could not yet experience that pain again. Dark magic always involved pain on the user, that was what made it dark. 

__

'I could do it yes, but it would take too much power and I would have to start collecting it again. What would the world do if they realized that it didn't matter what power you were born with, that you could collect more? Probably nothing. Fools. They will see, I will show them. I will rule, and they will see, that it takes only a mind to lead the world. No matter where you start from.'

Voldemort suddenly had a flashback of where he _had_ started from. He shook at the memory, snarled at the thought. Oh, how the Muggles would pay. They would learn that they could not do that to the Lord of the Dark.

If only he dared to contact his follower in Hogwarts. He hated them all, but that had been one man that he had hated less. Driven by hate just as much as he, and he could embrace the pain. That was what made him better then the rest. True, it made him more dangerous, he could turn if he wanted too, but he was driven by hate, so he would not turn.

He called another one of his men to him, and gave him a person to go to. Time to bring more followers in.

Draco stared at the letter that had arrived in the dead of night. Stared, and then in one quick movement, ripped it open. 

__

Draco-

I am very pleased with your astounding progress in school, and am proud that my son would progress so quickly at such a young age. We have been contacted by a very important friend of the family. I am going to visit him very soon, and I will tell him of your accomplishments. He will be just as pleased as I am, I'm sure. I merely hope that you are prepared to live up to the standards you have set for yourself. I will be disappointed if you do not, but I try not to wish for impossible goals. Do your best.

-Your Father

That was what the letter said, but Draco knew what the letter meant.

__

Draco, my only heir-

I can not believe that you would form a plan to ensnare Potter, and I am proud that you have done so with the intellect you have now. Voldemort has contacted us, and I am going to worship at his feet as soon as I finish this letter. I will let him know that you are getting close enough to Potter to spy in hopes that it will make him like me more. He will be happy that you have done this, I hope, for your own good. You better be willing to do the spying now that you said you would. If you don't, a beating waits for you. However it is not your fault if Potter will not give up any information, and I will tell Voldemort so he doesn't expect more then you are able to give. More then a beating is waiting for you if you disappoint the Dark Lord. 

I don't sign with love because love is a weakness.

-The man who controls you life. 

He glared at the letter, then sighed. Well, he had chosen sides now, and this was what it was going to be like. Being a spy was going to be harder then he thought. He would have to find a way to get closer, but he had to do it slowly. If anybody suspected him, then he would be of no use.


	28. Randy’s Rescue

Chapter 28

Randy's Rescue

When Harry walked into Potions on Monday, it was with a lighter heart then he would have normally. He had slept very well the night before. It seemed a dumb reason to be happy about spending two hours with the Slytherins and Snape, but he took what he could get.

He carried the map with him, and his cloak, and tried not to think about why he had them. The cloak was in the bottom of his bag, and the map in his pocket. It seemed to him like too much to ask for Voldemort to wait until after the holidays before another strike. Or rather Peter. 

They were making a potion that was actually rather interesting. If done correctly, it would eventually show them what animal they would turn into if they became Animagus. It would have to simmer through the entire Christmas break, and be stirred once a day. That, and Snape put it, was their homework for the holiday. But as the potions were staying here, what the students going home were going to do was beyond Harry.

Pulling his notes out, he pulled out the map with it. It was already activated, he kept it that way. He tucked it under his notes, but not before scanning it quickly. As he added the ingredients, he kept checking the map. He knew he was being paranoid, but he would sit and look at nothing else if he could.

While he slept, Sally watched it. Learning to read was something she now had her heart set on, even if he had taught her to only recognize a few words. The map wouldn't lie, even Voldemort himself could not hide his mind.

In watching the map so closely he learned something about it. It read your mind, so the name that showed up on the map was whoever who thought you were. He had noticed it when the name one of the teachers who had just been married kept changing between her maiden name and married name. She wasn't yet used to he new last name.

Carefully, he poured the frog eyes in. There seemed to be a lot of animal ingredients in this potion, which really did make sense. The main ingredient however was kelpie blood. Harry tried very hard not to think about drinking it.

After adding the frog eyes, Harry moved back over to look at the map again. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. Without hesitation, he grabbed his bag and dumped the contents on the table. Everybody turned to look at what the racket was about. 

"Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry grabbed the invisibility cloak out of the pile. "Potter! What do you think you are doing?" Snape roared as Harry vanished. He walked over to where Harry's desk was, and his eye fell on the map. 

Picking it up, he saw that Harry was already speeding down the hall. Really speeding. His eyes searched the map and fell on what Harry was speeding for.

"Damit!" he roared, causing everybody in the room to jump. Running to the fireplace, he threw the dust in. "Dumbledore! He's here again, and Potter just ran out there trying to stop him!"

Harry's lungs burned, but he forced himself to run faster. _'Can't disapperate on the grounds, but the woods aren't the grounds. He will have to head for the woods. Even he isn't dumb enough to go into the town. Shit, I wish I had grabbed the map.'_

As he reached the front doors, he sped even more, ignoring the pain that it had caused in his lungs and legs. He reached the edge of the forest, and looked in the direction that Peter would have to come from. 

His scar began to hurt, but he saw nothing. That was when he noticed the faint foot prints in the small bit of snow that remained. Of course, Peter would be using some sort of spell from Voldemort to make him invisible. It was from Voldemort, and that was what made Harry's scar hurt. There were muffled noises, as though somebody was trying to scream and couldn't.

Peter may be invisible, but so was Harry, and Harry knew Peter was there. Harry pointed his wand out the cloak at the place where Peter was standing. "_Hilsalennded! Borinitie! Expelliarmus!_"

In one moment Peter was covered in a green slime. Then once he was plainly visible in the next moment he was frozen. For the moment that Harry had to register anything, he saw the sack in Peter's hand. A sack! Then with the disarming spell, the sack flew away from him and toward Harry. That was when Peter transformed. 

The transformation broke the _Borinitie_ spell. Harry caught the sack that was flying at him, but by the time he had put it down and threw off the cloak, Peter was already into the woods. Cursing him, Harry let him go. Maybe Voldemort would kill him.

He was aware of the entire Hogwarts staff running out of the front doors, but Harry turned his attention on the sac. It had been very light when he caught it, and he was afraid of what he would find in it. When he untied it, and pair of watery brown eyes looked up at him.

The map had identified her name as Randy. She was a first year, and looked small enough to be eight or nine. Upon seeing Harry's face, tears streamed down her cheeks, and when he took the gag out of her mouth she burst into tears and reached out to him. Harry pulled her out of the sack, and lifted her into the air.

She was light, because she was so small. Harry was sure she was a Ravenclaw. He bent over and picked up his cloak and the sack. He started to walk toward the teachers who had all stopped dead in their tracks. "It's okay, Randy. I've got you now, it will be okay. I promise."

She stopped crying, but she still clung to him. Harry draped the cloak over his shoulder, and kept walking. "You're in Ravenclaw, aren't you Randy."

"Yes," came the timid voice. She clung to him harder. "How did you know."

__

'Because Peter may be stupid, but if he's going to do something stupid he will do it right. He won't take a fourth for fear of getting too close to me, he will be reluctant to take any_ Gryffindor. He won't take a Slytherin for fear of taking another followers' child.' _ "Because you were so smart, and knew just what to do. You made as much noise as you could so I could find you."

They reached the teachers, and Harry wondered how all of them had managed to get out here so quickly. Harry walked over to Dumbledore and let go of Randy. There was no need to hold her, she held on herself well enough. He handed the sack to Dumbledore. 

"That's what he took her in. She was in Charms. I tried to stop him, but when he transformed he broke my _Borinitie_ spell." He heard Professor McGonagall gasp slightly. He had forgotten that spell wasn't taught until seventh year. Well could they blame him? Flitwick had mentioned it in charms, when they were learning the Still Charm. It was supposed to be the strongest holding spell that existed. It literally made the air around you grow solid. "By the time I had caught the sack, he was already in the forest. Maybe Voldemort will hear that he failed, or even that he was here, and kill him for us."

Dumbledore blinked at that. He had never really heard Harry wishing to kill a person before. Voldemort could hardly be qualified as a person. 

Dumbledore reached out and took the sack, and in it's place handed Harry the map. He tucked it in his pocket, secretly glad that they did not intend to keep it.

"That was very brave thing you did, Mr. Potter, and we are all very proud of you." Harry waved it away. 

"Randy should go see the nurse. Randy, I'm going to put you down now, okay?"

He carefully pulled her away and set her on the ground. Standing she reached about his mid forearm. She immediately grabbed him around the waist and buried her face in his side. Harry stroked her hair and looked back up at Professor Dumbledore. 

"You could try searching the forest, but he is probably already gone. He can appeariate away as soon as he is out there. Plus Voldemort has a invisibility spell on him." His hand rubbed his scar when he said that. It still tingled. Dumbledore looked up at it, then at him questionably. "I think what it does is hurt every time he performs magic in near me. The spell of Wormtail was his, and that is why if hurt."

"It is green, if you didn't know."

Harry shrugged. "Not surprising. That is the color I remember the spell being. The spell that made it."

Dumbledore's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That you remember it at all astounds me."

Harry's face darkened. "Oh I do, believe me. It is the only memory of my parents that I have." He turned his attention on Randy. "Randy, you have to go get that cut on you cheek all fixed up. Don't you want to let go?"

She shook her head hard, hugging his waist harder. Harry smiled slightly. "The how about a ride?" He reached down to her and she jumped as he hefted her up. He grinned at the teachers and they moved aside to let him pass.

When they reached the nurse, Harry set her down on the bed, but she grabbed his hand before he could move. "Randy, I'm just going to go out here to talk to Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. I promise I won't leave, okay?"

She nodded slowly, and Madam Pomfrey rushed over to look at her cheek. Harry stepped outside the door where Dumbledore and Snape had followed him to.

"Somebody should bring her parents in," he said running a hand through his hair. Dumbledore nodded.

"Harry, how well did you manage to do the _Borinitie _spell?"

Harry blinked. That had been the last thing he had expected them to ask. "It worked just how it was supposed to until he transformed. Why?"

"No reason."

Harry studied them for a moment before asking what was on his mind. "What happened in her classroom?"

"Flitwick went flying around the room and every piece of glass in the room broke. That was the distraction, at least." Snape said with a sneer. "Probably how the girl got that scratch on her cheek you were so worried about."

"Is Professor Flitwick okay?"

"He's fine Harry. Besides some scratches from the glass, everybody was fine. Thanks to you. Let's see, three hundred points to your house. It's not every forth year that would run out of potions to face a fully grown wizard."

Harry grinned slightly. "I don't know, I think some of them would take you up on it if you offered it as a substitute for potions." He wiped the grin off at one look at Snape's face. However Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 

"You can be excused from class for the rest of the day, if you wish."

"My first day in a month on a decent night of sleep and I'm offered the day off. Thanks, but no thanks. One problem though-" The door suddenly opened and Randy came running out and she grabbed Harry's hand and hid from the two adults behind him. "Is this," Harry finished.

"Randy," Professor Dumbledore said squatting. She peaked out from behind Harry at him. "You were a really brave girl today. Because you were so good, you can stay with Harry for the rest of the day, as long as you promise to be good and quiet while he is in class." She beamed.

"Hey Randy," Harry said. "Do this." He put his hands over his ears and squinted as if pressing really hard. She grinned at him before imitating him.

"Professor," Harry said, turning to Dumbledore. "How old is she?"

"All of nine, I'm afraid. We had to bring her in early, she had too much talent to be left any longer. Her parents are Muggles. It seems to be happening more and more often, having to bring them in early. We almost did it with you, if we hadn't thought it very important that you were with your age group."

Harry blinked, and thought for a moment what it would be like if Hermione and Ron were two years below him, and Ginny three. There was no guaranty they would even be friends.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't or I would probably be best friends with Fred and George and that would be a problem. I should really be getting back to class."

As Harry said that, Snape hurried off down the hall. "Is there anything else, Professor?" When he shook his head, Harry reached down and pulled Randy's hands away from her ears. She grinned at him.

"Ready to go to class with me?"

She nodded quickly, and he picked her up once more. "Until later, Professor." 

"Yes, Mr. Potter, until later."

When Harry walked back into Potions, he was holding the hand of a young girl, who looked to Ginny about eight or nine. Harry looked at Ginny surprised.

"Rose, why are you here?"

"I knew what class you were supposed to be in, and when I told Professor McGonagall that I wanted to come see if you were okay, she thought it was a good idea. It seems however, that Professor Snape is not very happy with my presence. Who's this?"

"This is Randy, who's name I do not have to write on a rock today."

They apparently hadn't heard the story yet, and Ginny paled. Randy smiled shyly at them all, and even the Slytherins had a hard time glaring.

"Mrs. Weasley, as you can see, Mr. Potter is in perfect health. May I continue with my class now?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Snape, and he just glared at them. "I'm excused for the remainder of the class. Do you want me to take that up for you?" She gestured to the cloak which still remained on his arm. 

Harry nodded, using his free hand to give it too her. "Take the map too, and watch it for me. I wouldn't put it past him to come again, he's just stupid enough to try it."

Ginny nodded, then looked pointedly up at his scar. Harry reached up and rubbed it, hoping it was not too obvious. He switched to Parseltongue. "It's a long story, but we do need to talk. Meet in my room at midnight, Sally will let you know if it's not okay."

For not the first time, Ginny wished she could speak in Parseltongue not just understand it. "Are you sure? I mean, you are finally sleeping well again."

He grinned at her, and spoke in English. "Sal told me you two were slipping potions into my drinks to help that."

"Not last night though, you did it all on your own, and I'm so proud of you."

Harry chuckled. "Get going before the Professor here has a heart attack." He switched to Parseltongue again. "Because you know what this conversation is reminding him of."

She nodded, then smiled at Randy before leaving quickly. Snape slammed the door shut behind her.

"Professor," Harry said picking Randy up again, "you really shouldn't hold it against her, she can't help what she looks like."

Snape turned to give Harry a glare that could have melted steel, but Harry had already turned and was walking back to his desk.

He set Randy down on top of it, and she looked over the edge at the potion Harry was mixing. "Don't fall in, Randy." She sat back immediately. Harry started to stir with a wooded spoon, hoping that the potion wasn't ruined in his absence. Ron walked over.

"I kept it stirred while you were gone."

"Thanks," Harry said running a hand through his hair again. 

"Why is she here?"

"Hey Randy, do you want to go back?" She jumped off of the desk and ran to him, grabbing him around the waist and hiding her face again.

"Oh," Ron said with a grin. "Looks like we add another member to the Harry Potter Fan Club. Maybe they should start a new club, her and Ginny. The "Harry Potter Saved My Life Club"

Harry made a swipe at Ron with the wooded spoon, still giving him a chance to duck. Smiling, Ron went back to his own potion. Harry pried Randy lose and set her back up on the desk.

"Randy, what's your favorite animal?" Harry knew that the class was supposed to be silent, and that everybody could hear them talking, but he wasn't about to make the child sit there in silence.

"Kittens."

"Kitten's, huh?" Harry finished stirring, and turned to her. He took a piece of parchment, and crumpled it in his hand. Pulling out his wand, he tapped it, and when he opened it again, a tiny kitten sat in the parchment's place.

Randy laughed as he handed the baby cat to her. Harry continued making his potion to the sound of her giggling. When Draco Malfoy walked up, Harry tried not to groan. Instead he turned to Randy again. "Randy, do this again."

When her hands were pressed hard against her ears and her eyes shut, he rounded on Malfoy.

"Whatever it is you want to say, could it not have waited until later?"

"It is not up to you when you are contacted, Harry Potter. When you are contacted, you deal with it. Who ever knew you would be such a great mother, when you don't have one?"

"Go away," Harry growled. 

"Yes, I fear I must Harry Potter. Time grows short before he decides to call me out and bring attention to the class that they think I am trying to kill you. I am too close to you for comfort, Harry Potter, to both your friends and mine."

With that, Draco turned and walked back. Harry bit his lip. This was new, but he had to take it in stride with everything else.

Pasting a smile on his face, he pulled his wand out of his pocket. Randy was quickly growing bored of the kitten, so Harry taped it and it turned into a batch of butterflies that landed on Randy until she moved and scared them.

This soon turned into a How-Long-Can-Randy-Sit-Still-And-Not-Scare-The-Butterflies game. Harry even managed to keep a straight face when one of the butterflies left Randy to land on Snape's nose. Harry casually pointed his wand at it and it became a small bit of parchment that landed on the floor.

The class went by, though not without a lot of giggling behind hands. It was impossible to fear Snape when a little girl was playing with butterflies on the other side of the room and Snape could do nothing about it.

When Snape called dismissal and left the room, instead of everybody rushing out of the room, everybody rushed over to Harry. Even the Slytherins stuck around, if reluctantly. Randy suddenly forgot about the butterflies and grabbed on to Harry again, hiding her face. Harry picked her up and let her hide in his shoulder. He wasn't the least bit surprised when Ginny walked in, Sally around her neck. He suspected that Ginny had been waiting outside the door.

"Alright, tell us already, what happened."

"It really wasn't that big of a deal. I knew he was here, I had been expecting it. I put on the cloak and went after him. He was invisible, but Randy here was really brave and made lots of noise so that I could find her. Didn't you sweety?" Randy nodded without removing her face from it's hiding spot, causing many of the forth years to laugh. "Anyway, because he was invisible I hit him with the _Hilsalennded_ charm so that I could see him. Then I used the_ Borinitie_ spell to hold him still. When I saw that he was holding a sack I used_ Expelliarmus_ to take it from him. Then he transformed into his Animagus form and that broke the _Borinitie_ spell. By the time I caught the sack he was already in the forest, and most likely appeariated away."

"Harry, do you mean that you _successfully_ performed the _Borinitie_ spell even though you have never been taught it?" Hermione asked.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Professor Dumbledore was surprised too. What's the big deal? Professor Flitwick told us the word, I just remembered it."

"Harry," Hermione said slowly. "It is a spell, not a charm. It takes more then a incantation to perform. First off it requires a state of mind, you have to _see_ the person frozen. Then also it requires an awareness. To be able to manipulate air requires you to _be one_ with the air. Most people can only perform it after hours of meditating, and usually inside where it air is still and the same, not where it is always moving and changing."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as she talked. He didn't ask how she knew, she had probably borrowed a seventh year's text book. "Well," he said running a hand through his hair, "I guess the air outside likes me."

"Probably because his head is full of it," Malfoy said with a sneer, making the class turn to him.

Harry glared, but it was Randy who surprised him with a come back. "I don't see you saving anybody's life! Harry is smarter then you will ever be!"

Draco smirked before making a perfect bow. "I take it back, Miss., Randy is it? I will know better then to insult him in your presence, Miss. Randy." It was amazing how Draco managed to sound kind towards the child, and still insulting to Harry. Randy had already hid her face again, trying to fade away.

"Harry," Ginny said quietly. "How old is she?"

"Nine," Harry replied. "She's so smart for her age, that she had to come in early so we could teach her up really quick."

Ginny nodded, and smiled at the girls back. "Randy?" Slowly she looked up and turned around. "Do you know who Sally is?"

Randy nodded, her eyes fixing on the snake on Ginny's neck. "Well, Sally tells me that she really wants to play with you. Do you mind? She needs somebody to take care of her for a while."

Randy looked up at Harry for his permission, and he nodded with a grin. Randy reached out for the snake, never letting go of Harry. 

"Rossse, you are dead. She will end up killing me, and it will be your fault. I don't like kidsss."

Harry switched to Parseltongue. "You better behave, Sally. She's been though enough in one day without you scaring her."

"I'm not a complete idiot, Harry. I won't punish the kid for the missstake that Rossse made."

"I mean it."

"Alright! Stop pessstering."

Carrying Randy who was patting Sally on the head, Harry lead the way for the Gryffindors to their next class, which was Charms.

There was still a large amount of glass on the floor. Harry looked at Randy. "Randy, you don't have to come to Charms with me. You can go to History with Rose if you want." Randy responded by grabbing on tighter and Harry sighed.

The Ravenclaws were still arriving, and had already heard the rumors. Flitwick rounded on Harry as soon as he walked in. He glanced at Randy. "Is she okay?"

"Randy, are you having fun today?" She nodded quickly. "Why don't you get on my back, so I can use my hands, okay?" She moved so that Harry had her in a piggy-back position, grabbing around his neck in a way that had to be uncomfortable, but Harry ignored it if it was.

Flitwick smiled and nodded. He stood up on a chair to give himself height. "Professor Dumbledore says that you performed the _Borinitie_ spell today."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He had done it once, and now everybody was worked up about it. What if he couldn't do it again. He remembered how he had done it, but what if it didn't work this time? "Yes, Professor. I didn't know anymore then the name, and used it as a reflex, and it worked. I think I could do it again, but as the circumstances are different, I couldn't be sure."

"Well, why don't you try?"

Harry shrugged, as best as he could with Randy clinging to his back. He pulled his wand out of his pocket, and held it loosely. Flitwick looked like he was about to say something about Randy, then thought better of it. He opened a cage that held a fairy in it. It floated to the middle of the room.

Harry pointed his wand in the fairy's direction and spoke the word. He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to do. All he knew was that this would make the air around the fairy turn solid, and that was what it did.

Flitwick fell off of his chair. "Mr. Potter, that is truly very amazing. No, astounding! I would say impossible if I didn't see it happening. It should never had worked. You held you wand too lose, and you didn't hold out the 'eee' at the end long enough, and yet it still worked."

Harry gave a strained smile and tried to ignore the jealous glances that the Ravenclaws were giving him. However, if their glance managed to catch the member of their house hanging on his back, then they seemed to forgive all.

Harry was suddenly very tired. Maybe the spell took more out of him then he thought. "Professor, I would like to lay my head down now, if that's okay?" It didn't help that his scar was tingling. Now that it had been exposed to Voldemort's magic again, he wondered if it would stop any time soon.

Without waiting for the Professor's answer, Harry set Randy down in a chair beside his desk, then sat down and feel straight asleep on his desk, mumbling a "watch over her" in Parseltongue to Sally.

When he woke, it was to Ron's hand on his shoulder. Harry sat up quickly, and looked around, sighing when he saw Randy. He didn't know why he was so worried about her.

"It's lunch time, Harry. You know, Randy won't talk to anybody but you, and Malfoy if you count yelling as talking. We tried to play with her through the whole class."

Harry looked down at her. "You know that you can't keep that up, right? Only for today, okay?" 

"Okay, Harry."

"That's my girl." He noticed that the Ravenclaws had not left yet. One of them walked up to him. 

"We are really thankful that you saved Randy for us. She is the baby member of our house. It is amazing that she talks even to you, we have never gotten a word out of her. She won't even answer teachers in class. We think it is because she is Muggle-born and so young."

"Well, she may not speak to you, but she can hear you." Harry said with a glare. The Ravenclaw had enough grace to blush. "Plus that's going to change, she promised me. Today is the last day, right Randy? Because today we proved that we were all grown up, didn't we?"

"Yes," she said shyly, looking down at the floor. 

Harry picked her up and set her on his shoulder. She was so light it still surprised him. 

When they reached the lunch table, Randy actually let go of Harry and ran to Ginny, who set her up on her lap. Harry sat down across from them, and switched to Parseltongue right away. "Rose, I am already wiped out. There is no way I will last until midnight." Ginny nodded, but didn't respond, though she clearly wanted to. Everything she said everybody would understand. "I've finally figured out what my scar's connection to Voldemort is. In my first year, it bothered me all the time, because Voldemort was always there, doing magic through Quirrell. It started to hurt and glow as soon as Peter got close to me with the invisibility spell set by Voldemort. I think it has more to do with the wand then the magic. His wand made the scar, and now anything his wand does close to me makes the scar hurt."

"That... makes sense." She bit her lip in frustration at having to guard what she said. "But why when-" she cut of quick and a hand flew up to her cheek. She touched it, then jerked away as if her own hand had burnt her. "I got hit this morning," she explained, but she gave Harry a look.

He knew what she meant right away. "Because, he was using magic to inhabit Quirrell's body. When that magic touched me, it hurt even more."

She nodded again, glaring at her plate, but careful not to let Randy see the glare. "My problem is now when is it going to go away? I think it maybe extra sensitive now that it has started. And now it's glowing. That can't be good."

Ginny acted as if the conversation was over, and then started another a few minutes later. "Harry, have you ever thought about growing your hair out? It might look good on you."

Harry shook his head, at both the shown meaning and the hidden one. He liked his hair the way it was, thank you very much.

"Oh well," she replied.

The remainder of the day was a workout for Harry. Randy was no problem, but too many of the teachers kept asking him to perform the _Borinitie_ spell for them, and every time he did it he wanted to sleep for a week. 

When he walked into dinner, however, sleep was erased from his mind for the moment. Randy was hiding her face again, she didn't like being the center of attention, and she was with the wrong person if she didn't. 

A woman was practically running across the hall. She had black hair just like Randy, and Harry was already taller then her. He didn't need to ask who this was. The woman stopped in front of Harry, but appeared unable to say anything. She was stuck between reaching out for her daughter and staring in shock at Harry.

"Randy, somebody is here to see you." Randy lifted her head, then spotted her mother. 

"Mommy!"

Her daughter's cry seemed to make up the woman's mind. Harry handed Randy to her. "Randy! Oh mommy is so proud of you."

Harry grinned and started to walk to the Gryffindor table. "Wait!" He stopped and turned. The woman walked over to him, Randy holding her hand. "Are you the one who saved her?"

"Yes, mommy, he is." Harry nodded slowly.

"I don't know how to thank you," her mother said slowly.

"Don't worry about it. She's a great kid, and Randy don't forget our promise."

She smiled, showing all her teeth. "I won't. Mommy is going to take me home for a few days, but I promise to keep it when I get back." She let go of her mother's hand and walked over to Harry. He got down on his knees so that they were eye level. Randy pulled him into a hug which he returned gratefully.

Pulling her daughter away, the two of them walked out of the hall.

Harry fell into his seat at the dinner table. He was so exhausted. He had lost count of how many times he had been asked to perform the _Borinitie_ spell. On the bright side it got easier every time he did it.

__

'Well, you won't be doing any research tonight,' he thought cheerfully. For once the voice that usually scolded him for always putting it of agreed. 

Just as he thought about shutting his eyes for a moment, there was a tap on his shoulder. He didn't jump, he didn't turn. He knew it was Dumbledore by the amount of magical energy he could feel radiating off of him. 

He stood slowly and turned. He always felt that if you faced adults standing they pushed you around less then if you sat and watched them.

Dumbledore's face was grave, and Harry's heart fell. Dumbledore handed him a scrap of parchment. Harry unfolded it and read.

__

Patty, age nine.

He didn't need to see the glow to know the sword had appeared, he could feel it's magical energy as much, if not more, then Dumbledore's. He reached out to grab it, and walked out of the hall.

When he sat before the stone, it read;

In memory of

John age five

Sarah age six

Margaret age seven

Isaac age five

Wendy age four

Linda age six

Randy age five

Kara age two

Nathan age seven

Jamie age four

David age five

Crystal age three

Mary age five

Brian age eight

Michael age nine

Diana age eight

Victor age twelve

William age ten

Carl age eleven

Danny age twelve

Nick age nine

Samantha age ten

Cindy age eight

Ashley age twelve

Elizabeth age thirteen

Patty age nine

He sat there in front of the stone for a very long time. Ginny came out behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. He leaned back against her legs.

"All I could think of, Rose, was at least it wasn't Randy. Who am I to decide which of them deserved to die more? Because Randy shows more outward potential, she is already here, but this one is not as strong, and has to die for it. How can I make that decision? It's like telling me to pick one of my parents to bring back from the dead."

Ginny moved and sat down beside him. "It's not your fault Harry. You did what was right. Even if you had known that he would go find another tonight, would you have been able to let him take Randy to prevent it? Even before you knew Randy?"

"No," Harry muttered.

"Then stop hating yourself and hate Voldemort. It is his fault, hate him."

"What would I do without you, Rose?"

"Pull your hair out and jump from the highest tower. Now let's go, you are already dead on your feet. It's time for bed, Mister."

"Yes mum," he said standing. She hit him in the back of the head.


	29. Exciting News

Chapter 29

Exciting News

Harry stared at the sticks that Professor McGonagall was passing out. Trying to concentrate, he turned his attention to what she was saying. "Transfiguring an object in to something alive is a much more complicated process then what you have been taught so far. The majority of you will most likely start with a non-living creature that will simply be a shell of the thing you were trying to make. The object will fade back into what it was if it is not held by the person who transformed it. This is because man can not create life, so have no fear that you are turning something alive into something that is not, because it was not really alive to begin."

"Harry," Ron said leaning over to whisper to him. "Didn't you make that kitten and those butterflies for that kid out of paper."

Harry didn't respond, as this realization had just come to him too. "Mr. Weasley, would you like to share with the class?"

Ron looked up startled, and then grinned. "Of course Professor, I was just asking Harry how he was able to make a kitten and butterflies out of paper if this is supposed to be so hard to do."

Instead of scolding Ron for his tone, she turned to face Harry. "Mr. Potter, is this true?"

_'Here we go again.'_ He nodded. Once again just because he hadn't known something was supposed to be so difficult, it hadn't been. 

"Well then you wouldn't mind demonstrating for us, would you?" Her voice said that she wasn't buying this.

Harry shrugged, and pulled his wand out of his bag. He held it awkwardly. It felt so uncomfortable lately. He tapped the stick, picturing what it was going to look like. With a very tiny 'pop' a squirrel sat in front of him. It looked around expectantly. With a grin, he twisted the wand once more, making a bit of air solid, and turning it into a acorn, which the squirrel grabbed immediately.

Looking up, Professor McGonagall was staring at him, eyes wide. Her mouth made a small 'o' before she closed it and swallowed. "Mr. Potter," it sounded like a croak, and she swallowed once more before starting again. "Mr. Potter, do you have any idea what you just did?"

Harry looked puzzled. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure a lot of people will be able to do it today."

McGonagall shook her head. "Not the squirrel, the acorn. The acorn, Mr. Potter, how did you make it?"

Harry's eyebrows rose, clearly wondering if his teacher had lost her marbles. They had been making non-living objects for three years. "I just turned some air solid and changed it into an acorn." He realized what that meant just as Hermione gasped behind him.

"Transfiguring out of air isn't taught until sixth year, and most don't manage it until seventh," she said faintly. "Class, work on changing your sticks into worms. Mr. Potter, come up here with me."

Silently wishing he could beat his head against a wall, Harry followed Professor McGonagall to her desk, Sally on his left wrist. She sat down behind the desk and looked at him.

"You are very advanced in you skills, but you missed a step. Transforming one living thing into another-"

"I did that," Harry interrupted. "Well, sorta. I transformed a piece of parchment into a kitten, and then the kitten into butterflies, but I think," his eyebrows creased in concentration, "I think it would be almost the same."

"Don't look at me," Sally hissed, making Harry grin and hiss something back to her.

McGonagall reached under her desk and pulled out a fly in a jar. "Try something."

"Something that won't break the jar," Harry muttered, his eyebrows creasing once more. He tapped his wand on the glass, and in place of the fly sat a small mouse.

"Tasssty."

"Sal!"

"Harry, you better get this squirrel!" Ron called, and Harry turned just in time to see it run up Lavender's arm. She squealed and Harry pointed his wand at it. It became a scared little kitten, and Lavender awed and cooed it. Harry rolled his eyes. All girls must like kittens.

McGonagall looked like Christmas had come early. "Harry, this, this is remarkable-"

"Professor," Harry interrupted again in an urgent whisper, "there is enough about me already that is remarkable. Please don't make a big deal about it, _please._"

McGonagall looked up surprised at his pleading eyes. "Of course, if that's what you want, Harry. Will you still try to make something larger out of air for me?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm sure you like cats too," he muttered, and suddenly a silver eyed black cat sat on her desk. It stared at her.

"Now make it go back." Harry blinked. Without even moving, the cat disappeared. "No wand?" she asked.

"You aren't making magic, you're cutting it off, you don't need your wand for that. You just stop holding it as the cat. Like you said, it would have faded, but I just cut it."

"And you have the concepts too. That's true, but most still feel that it must need a wand, and wave it around anyway. Alright, no big deal, you have just passed seventh year transfiguration, but go sit down like nothing has happened."

A wave of exhaustion swept over Harry, and he hurried back to his desk where he laid his head down. He was aware of Hermione's eyes on his back, but he was too tired to care. At the end of class, he found himself once again being awakened by Ron.

Staring into the fire, Harry wad mildly aware of Ginny, Ron, and Hermione falling down in the seats next to him. He was also mildly aware they were talking about something.

"What about you, Harry?"

Hearing his name broke him out of his daze. "What?"

"The dance tomorrow, are going with anybody?"

"That's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow night," Ginny said shifting in her seat. "Ron won't ask the mystery girl."

"I can't! She isn't to know until Christmas, how can I ask her to a dance _before_ Christmas?"

"So all four of us are going single, how boring," Hermione said sinking into her seat.

"Hey, how do you know I don't plan on asking somebody?" Harry said with a smirk.

"Do you?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I do now."

"You shouldn't make a big deal out of it," Ginny said as she picked up her sewing. "Just because you go to a dance with a person doesn't mean you have to go and get married. You can just go with friends."

"Says the girl who's turned down ever offer so far," Hermione said with a grin.

"She's right," Harry said, leaning back and closing his eyes. He smiled mentally at how well he had picked up on Ginny's plan.

"I guess so," Ron said slowly, "Books? Want to go to the dance with me?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but a smile was hinted at the corners of her mouth. "I s'pose so."

Harry smiled without opening his eyes. "How romantic," he said sarcastically. "Ron, even if you are going with her as a friend, you should still aim to impress."

"Is that so, Harry?" Ginny said reaching into her bag for a needle. It was in there somewhere. "How will you ask, whoever you are asking?"

"You'll see," he said with eyes twinkling. 

She felt something sharp, and tried to grab it, but it wasn't the needle. She pulled the mystery object out of the bag, and gasped when she saw the yellow rose. She could only stare for a moment, and then suddenly, one of the petals _flew_ off. Then the next, and the next, and she suddenly recognized them as butterflies. She watched as they all flew off, until only one remained. 

The last butterfly took off slowly, and flew over to land on Ginny's other hand. It sat there for a moment flexing it's wings, and with a 'pop' it became a small piece of light yellow paper, with light green writing.

__

Told you that you would see. Will you go to the dance with me, lovely rose?

H.P.

Crossing her arms, she looked up at Harry, who grinned at her. She sighed. "I guess I can't say no to _that._"

"See Ron, it works so well."

Ginny chucked the empty stem at him, which disappeared half way to him. "I can't even throw things at him. This is so unfair."

Harry fell into his seat beside Ron, in front of Ginny. They had the whole day off, and the Great Hall was already transforming under the eye of Heather. 

"What are we supposed to wear to this thing, anyway?" he asked as the mail arrived.

"They wear dresses, we wear black pants. Which is good, because I don't fancy trying to dance in robes."

An owl landed in front of Ginny, and she pulled the letter off of it's leg. "We have the whole day to get ready, Books."

"You need the whole day?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked up at him. "Of course we do. Something wrong with that?"

Ron held his hands up in front of him. "No, no, nothing."

Harry grinned. Ron had been brushing past every opportunity for a fight, and it was getting to Hermione. It was getting to Ron too, but he wasn't showing it. Harry wished he knew why. Why would they need the whole day? All he had to do was grab a shower and put on some clothes.

Ginny's eyes turned to the letter she had received, and she suddenly spit out her pumpkin juice. "Thanks, Rose. I was just thinking that I needed a shower."

"Bill and Lynn eloped! And Lynn is expecting!"

"What?" the other three said at once.

A large smile broke across Ginny's face. "Fred, George!" she called. The twins sitting a bit down the table turned to face her. "Bill got married."

Both boys paled, and raced out of their seats. They grabbed the letter from her, and stood reading it for a moment. Fred looked up. "George do you know what this means."

"Besides that the female race has blindfolded our eldest sibling?"

"Yes besides that." They both grinned, and spoke together. "We're going to be uncles!"

"Just think of all the things we can teach the little guy."

"His mother will just hate us."

"Uncle Fred."

"Uncle George." Their eyes gleamed the way it always did when they were making trouble.

"How are you so sure it's a boy? Give that back." Ginny grabbed the letter back from them. 

"It has to be a boy. Speaking of which, you better help that boy, before he passes out."

Ginny, Hermione, and Harry turned their attention to Ron, who was so pale that his freckles stood out. "Ron?"

"Married?" he said faintly. "He can't be married!" Hermione reached over and patted his hand, which Ron jerked away. 

"Ron, you met Lynn, she's so nice!" 

Ron stared down at his hand, and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess he can be married, but a baby? Do you know what that means?"

Ginny hid a giggle behind her hand and Hermione snorted. Ron's ears turned red as Harry shook his head with a smile. "And it starts."

Ginny looked up at Harry. "What do you mean it starts?"

Harry smiled. "There are seven of you. You all get married, and even if you all only have two kids each that's fourteen. And something tells me that two isn't likely."

Ginny grinned. "I think both Bill and Charlie want big families. And Charlie and that Sandy girl are getting very serious. I know Percy wants lots of kids, and he and Penelope are still together. If they ever come home from Brazil."

"I want a big family," Fred said sitting down beside them.

"Lots of kids to pass on the family secrets to," George finished taking a seat across from him.

"See what I mean? Say all five of them have five kids each. That's twenty five right off, and there's still you and Ron."

"Not me," Ron said with a glare. "One clingy little brat is enough for me."

"Ron!" they all said at once. Ron sulked. 

"And think of the timing," Harry continued. "Most of them will be born in the same ten years. This school will have more Weasleys then it can hold."

Fred and George were still grinning. "We are going to go write to Bill. Talk to you later." They rose and left, heads bowed together in deep conversation.

"Speaking of clingy kids," Hermione said looking up. "What ever happened to that little girl?"

"I think she's still at home. I don't blame her, really. It should be good for her."

"Did you say she was nine? She really didn't seem even that old."

Harry looked at her. "You came from a Muggle family, Hermione, think about it. I don't think she has a father, so she's ripped away from the only parent she's ever known at nine years old. Not only thrown into a school where she knows nobody, but also into a world of which she knows nothing. You had your research to guide you, Hermione, but she's only nine, I doubt she did any research. She's two years younger then almost every person here, and doesn't know any of them. She had two choices, as I see it. Try to act the age of her class mates, or fall back and act younger and distance herself from them. Then she has a near death experience, and finally finds a person she trusts. It would be natural to cling."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, Ron stared, and Ginny smiled. "You're going to make a heck of a father someday Harry."

Harry shook his head and turned back to wipe the forgotten juice from his clothes.

Heather stormed into the staff room, Sirius trotting at her heels. "This better be important, I have a dance to put on in six hours."

They looked up as Sirius shut the door with his nose, before transforming into his human form. Many of the staff eyed him suspiciously. They believed Dumbledore, but that didn't mean they trusted him. 

"Have you heard what happened in Mr. Potter's last class yesterday?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Heather answered, falling into one of the soft chairs, that unfortunately already hosted Sirius, but it didn't surprise her and she sat on his lap pretending not to notice.

"He performed perfect seventh year transfiguration!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Small, yes, but perfect! He didn't even realize what he was doing! Even James wasn't able to do it that early."

"Calm yourself Minnie," Dumbledore said with a smile. McGonagall sat down abruptly and shut her mouth.

"How, how is that possible?" Sprout asked.

Dumbledore stood and started to pace. It was a mark how much it was getting to him if he was pacing. "It really should be. All that transfiguration really is, is directing your magical energy to do what you want, and then expanding that magical energy with practice."

"He understood the concepts too. He breaks his ties without a wand, and knew that transforming an already transformed animal into another and transforming a real animal into another were similar, but still different."

"He's intelligent, there's no question," Dumbledore continued. "So it would make sense with the amount of power he has, that he would be able to accomplish this."

"He fell asleep, sound asleep, right after. He slept though Mr. Longbottom's explosion, and that sound could have woken the dead."

Dumbledore stopped and stared at the wall. "It shouldn't require his physical energy to tap into his magical energy unless-" he cut off.

"Unless he's reaching though a block," Heather finished faintly, leaning back into Sirius for support as much as comfort.

"Dean, if you are leaving, how are we going to stir that potion when we aren't there?" Seamus said, falling onto his bed. "I can't afford to flunk this project."

"I'll stir it," Harry said walking into the dorm. They had the entire day to blow while the girls got ready. "I'm not leaving, and I have to go stir mine, I can stir yours too. Better put it in writing that I have permission, though. Snape may punish me for trying to tamper with it."

"Would you do that for us, Harry?"

"Sure, and Neville too if he's leaving. And any of the girls."

"Thanks Harry," Dean said grabbing a piece of parchment and scribbling down his permission before handing it to Seamus who wrote the same. Neville walked into the room, and gratefully signed it too.

"I was just about to write to Gran that I would have to stay for the break after all."

Harry took the parchment from them. "I better go get the girls to sign it too."

Harry knocked on the forth year girls dorm. The door opened a crack and a pair of blue eyes looked out. "Make sure you're descent, girls. It's the most eligible bachelor of the school."

"Bug off, Lavender," came a voice. "Why would Harry be out there?"

"Because I need to talk to you girls about your potions," he called.

His voice brought a lot of squealing and the sounds of movement. Lavender's eyes looked away, and then after a moment, turned back and opened the door. "You can come in now."

Harry was surprised to see a number of girls present that were not in the forth year, which included Ginny painting her nails on Hermione's bed. "Books is in the shower, if you wanted to talk to her," Ginny said without looking up.

"No, she's staying for break. The potion Snape has us doing has to be stirred three times clockwise daily."

"It does!" Lavender exclaimed. "Shit! It would be just like that horrible man to do that over the holiday."

"Severus Snape has some problems, but he's not a horrible person," Ginny said carefully closing the bottle of nail polish. 

"Yeah, just because he likes you," said Samantha, glaring at her. Harry really was growing to dislike that girl.

"Well, anybody who is leaving I will stir their potions for them, but I need it in writing so Snape doesn't give me a problem with it."

Lavender grabbed the parchment eagerly before passing it to Parvati. "So, most eligible bachelor of the school, do you have a date for the dance?"

"I _am not_, and I'm going with a friend," he answered falling onto Hermione's bed.

"Funny," Samantha said, "that's what Ginny sa..." she faded off, looking at Ginny who turned red. "It's him, isn't it! You're going with Harry Potter!"

"Hello, I am here."

"_Ginny,_" another girl squealed. "Why wouldn't you tell us? Going to the one guy in school that everybody likes, and all you say is 'I'm going with a friend'!"

"I am here."

"That's the sort of thing you shout from the roof tops, not keep to yourself!"

"We should have known after the way they danced at the Halloween dance."

Ginny crawled behind Harry's back so she wasn't visible to any of the girls. "Help me."

Harry grinned. "How can I? They've forgotten I'm here." He looked over his shoulder at her, hiding behind him. The other girls in the room suddenly fell silent and stared at him.

"They do make a cute couple, though." 

Ginny jumped out from behind him. "Friend! Friend! I said friend! Do you not know the meaning of friend?"

"Amanda, write this down, Ginny spoke more then one sentence to us," Samantha said dramatically. Ginny's cheeks tinged with pink.

"Shut up, Samantha," said the girl that Harry hadn't known before, who's name must be Amanda.

"Well, as I am really not allowed in here, can I have that parchment back?" Lavender handed it to him. "Rose, what color dress are you wearing?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I'm curious."

"It's golden yellow," Hermione said, coming out of the bathroom door in a robe with a towel on her head. 

"And yours Books?"

"Royal blue. Now, Harry, kindly leave so I can change."

Harry smirked. "Oh, but Ron was going to come and we were going to throw a party."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and turned, slamming the bathroom door behind her. Ginny giggled. "That was mean, Harry."

"I know, but it was so perfect. I'm going to go play cards, as we have hours to kill and nothing to do. Gold?" Ginny nodded, and Harry stood up to leave.

As he shut the door behind him, he only had to stand there for a moment before he heard the squeal; "Ginny, look!"

Ginny turned to the mirror to see the golden rose that had been pinned up in her hair. "He's such a flirt," Hermione said coming out again holding a blue rose of her own.

Ginny sighed, carefully taking the rose out so she could put it back up later. "He is. Let's hope these don't sprout butterflies, shall we?"

"He's good for you, Ginny," Amanda said, then cringed when Ginny turned and glared. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded, though that's true too. I mean he boosts your confidence, you can see it in your face as soon as he walks in a room."

"He's so cute. And charming. And powerful. And famous."

"Shut up Samantha!"

Ginny sighed, going to take her turn in the shower.

Harry had only meant to lay down for a moment, but he woke an hour before the dance was to start. Quickly, he checked for the line of power that held the roses. He sighed when he found it still there and intact. Rising quickly, he took a quick shower. 

As he pulling on a green shirt to top his black pants, Dean spoke up. "Is green your favorite color, Harry?"

"Why?"

"Well, like half of your shirts are green."

"Sal picked out most of my clothes. She says I look good in green, she says it brings out my eyes." Seamus snorted. "What?"

"It's just funny! Your _snake_ picks out your clothes!"

"Well, I bet your mother picked out that shirt for you."

Seamus stopped laughing quickly, pulling the shirt on over his head. "Yeah, she did."

"They why can't Sal pick out mine? Besides," Harry said looking in the mirror and smiling, "she's right. It does bring out Mum's eyes. Speaking of which, Sal are you coming?"

Sally slithered out from under the bed. "I suppose I will, but not with you, I'll meet you down there later."

"Alright. I'll meet you downstairs Ron. I'm going to go wait for the girls."

When the door shut, Neville turned to Ron. "Why did he say 'She's right, they do bring out _Mum's_ eyes'?"

"He has his mother's eyes. Everybody who knew his parents says he looks just like his father with his mother's eyes. Here," he said grabbing the picture of Lily and James that Harry kept on his bedside table. "Look."

Dean caught the picture and looked at it. "Hey, he does. That looks like an older version of him. His mother looks like your sister, Ron."

"I know that."


	30. Christmas Dance

1 Chapter 30  
  
Christmas Dance  
  
Ginny popped her earrings in quickly, and looked at herself once more in the mirror. The red hair she had worn down for once contrasted with the gold color of the dress. The V-cut of the neck line showed the gold and red necklace she had yet to take off. The rose was pined just above her right ear. She wore a tiny bit of eye shadow, but otherwise her face lacked any make-up. Hermione had down right forbidden her to wear anymore. "You're naturally beautiful. Don't hide it," she had said. Ginny bit her lip. If she looked half as good as Hermione did at that moment...  
  
Hermione walked up behind her in the mirror. The dress she wore set off her eyes nicely, and showed the figure she always attempted to hide. Her hair had taken Ginny two full hours to do, but she was very proud of it. First pulling it out straight, Ginny had put Hermione's hair in a high bun, the rose Harry had given her tucked into the center. The stray strands of hair she had curled, and they reached the length of Hermione's chin, framing her face. Through out the curls were tiny blue gems, which Hermione herself had created. Two matching gems stayed at the corner of her eyes, and on all ten of her nails.  
  
Ginny smiled at her in the mirror, Hermione frowned. "I should have said no," she muttered. "Then I wouldn't have to go at all."  
  
"Oh, Hermione, you look wonderful! Who cares who you are going with? Make the boy's eyes fall out, and then have some fun."  
  
Hermione turned away from the mirror and stepped into her shoes. "Well, let's go." Ginny follower her out of the room.  
  
  
  
Harry grinned as the girls appeared on the stair way. Ron, seated behind him, jumped out of his chair. Ginny bit her lip self-consciously, while Hermione frowned.  
  
"You may have given them roses," Ron muttered with a devilish grin, "but you won't beat this."  
  
As they reached the bottom step, Ron offered Hermione his hand. With a slight bow of head, he smiled at her. "You look amazing."  
  
Hermione colored prettily and her blue eyes laughed, but she pulled her hand back away from him. "Flattery will get you no where, and I can take the last step without your help, thank you."  
  
Ron's shoulders slumped and disappointment decked his face. "You see, Pawn, for it to work, your subject must be a willing participant." As Hermione stepped off the last step, Harry walked up to Ginny. He made a full bow, which Ginny returned with a curtsy. He offered his hand. "May I say that you are lovely tonight, my Rose."  
  
"Show off," Ron muttered as Ginny took his hand and stepped down.  
  
"Harry, may I inform you that you are a complete flirt."  
  
"Now Rose, that is not so. It is my charm that you are a witness to. Now shall we go?" he asked offering his arm to her.  
  
Shaking her head with a smile, she took it, and Hermione and Ron followed them out of the room.  
  
  
  
Sipping a glass of eggnog, Ginny watched her prey through her bangs. Heather had done an amazing job. Countless trees decked the hall. All the furniture in the room sparkled as if touched by an intangible frost. Occasionally a enchanted snowflake would fall from the sky, disappearing upon landing.  
  
Harry stood leaning casually against the wall beside her. Ron and Hermione were dancing. She smiled to herself as she saw another dancing couple caught by Fred and George's mistletoe. They had put some sort of charm on it, and you would be stuck inside a clear, solid cylinder with your dancing partner until you kissed. Heather had talked to Fred and George for a long time, their punishment being to teach her how to make it.  
  
"You shouldn't do it, Rose." Harry said behind her.  
  
She looked over her shoulder at him. "Am I that obvious?"  
  
He shrugged. "Only to me. It's a bad idea, really."  
  
Ginny turned to face him. "Harry Potter, I expected better of you. Somebody has to show that boy that he is wanted, that he does matter. Whatever you feel about him, it doesn't mean that-" Harry stopped her with a finger on her lips. She was angry, not so much at him, but at the fact that he was able to silence her so easily. Her back was heating., but she fought to keep the blush out of her face.  
  
"Alright, then go." Her grabbed her shoulders and turned her. Ginny looked up. Harry had known exactly what chance she was looking for.  
  
She did not often think of herself as beautiful, but she knew that it didn't hurt to look at her, and even that wouldn't matter if you set your voice just so.  
  
Draco Malfoy was dressed in black, and it set off his pale coloring nicely. He stood with some of the Slytherin seventh years. Ginny put on a small smile on her face, and adjusted her walk slightly as she came up behind him. Putting a finger to her lips, she told the seventh years that were facing her to not inform Draco of her approach.  
  
Just as she was about to reach a hand around to cover Draco's eyes, his hand came up as fast as lightning and grabbed her wrist. He jerked her around in front of him. Upon seeing her, his eyes widened with surprise. He dropped her wrist like it was poison, and stepped involuntarily backward. A very slight tinge of, not quite pink, but more color then white, entered his pale cheeks.  
  
"Never," he said in a fierce whisper, "come at me from behind."  
  
Ginny raised a questioning eyebrow, but said nothing. She put her smile back on as she grabbed his hand again. "Pardon me," she said to the seventh year students, "but I must borrow him for a moment or two." She just about dragged him onto the dance floor, stifled laughter coming from the Slytherins they had just left behind.  
  
"Why don't you dance with Potter, Weasley?"  
  
"Draco, dear, shut up, dance, and call me Rose, okay?" He glared at her, but listened all the same.  
  
"Why do you do this," he hesitated "Rose?"  
  
Ginny smiled at the use of her nickname. "Because nobody else will, and somebody has to teach you to dance." That was a flat lie, and the raise of his eyebrows said he knew it. Draco was one of the best dancers in the school.  
  
"I hear that you came with Potter, life long dream come true?"  
  
Ginny's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't let it show in her dancing. "Does everybody know about it now?"  
  
"Depending on which part you are asking about, the answers are; yes, or everybody but Potter himself and your very thick brother."  
  
"Did you know that you are a complete bastard, Draco?"  
  
"It's a gift. Now let me tell you something. You were the reason why my shoulder was dislocated, Ginny. My father's hate for you family is never ending. This can not happen again, whatever your goal is, understand?"  
  
Ginny tried to let go and back away from him, shock covering her face, but she backed into something solid. She looked, and there was nothing there, except a very faint yellow haze. Looking up, she saw exactly what she suspected. Mistletoe above their heads. Draco was looking at it too.  
  
"See what you've gotten us into? I'll be lucky if I survive my return home."  
  
"Draco," she was looking at him, fear etched on her features.  
  
Many people were watching them, but none more intently then Harry, who had already crossed half the room. Hermione was watching, but she didn't stop dancing with Ron, and she also didn't let him see. 'She's scared,' Harry thought. 'Why on earth is she scared? If you hurt her Malfoy, I'll kill you and then Ron will to.'  
  
"I'm so sorry," Ginny whispered. "Why didn't you tell me? This is all my fault."  
  
Draco looked down from the mistletoe, and studied her for a moment. He leaned against the invisible barrier and crossed his arms. "Is it a Gryffindor trait or just a Ginny trait to blame yourself for everything?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I really hadn't expected Potter to keep his word. I suppose I under estimated him. It was one of the things I told the snake she could tell him. I knew this would be how you would react."  
  
"I," Ginny swallowed, and backed away from him against the clear block. "I'm sure I can get Fred and George to take this off."  
  
Draco smirked at her, and it only caused her to become more distressed. She suddenly felt very confined in this tiny space, and all too aware that Draco wasn't even a foot away from her. It had all been a game before, a game with a purpose yes, but all the same. She couldn't play that game anymore, not if it was hurting him that way, and now she couldn't get away.  
  
When Draco leaned down, she had just a split second to register what he was going to do before she felt his lips on hers. And then only a split second to register that he was kissing her before he had pulled back again. The barrier that she was leaning on disappeared suddenly and just as she was about to fall backwards she was caught from behind and Draco reached out and grabbed her arm. Draco let go quickly, and she didn't have to look up to know who had caught her. She knew that feeling, and she knew that look in Draco's eyes.  
  
"She's all yours now, Potter." Draco turned on his heel and walked away.  
  
Ginny stood up again, grabbed Harry's hand, and pulled him to the edge of the room. His face was worried. "He told you didn't he?"  
  
She nodded, tears brimming her eyes. "You should have stopped me, Harry. I'm so sorry I yelled at you." He shook his head, waving the apology away.  
  
"I wasn't allowed to tell you. I don't share secrets unless I have to. His father won't kill him, and he's dealt with worse. Knowing him, he'll find a way to get out of it. It isn't your fault, stop blaming yourself, and let Malfoy go. You can't solve all the problems in the world, and he has enough of them to make up the world."  
  
  
  
Draco fell into a chair and glared at Rose and Potter across the room. It was really hard to think of her as 'Weasley' anymore, and even 'Ginny' was not quite right.  
  
He would show them, he would show all of them. His father wouldn't hurt him, not when he explained how Rose was so close to Potter, and that she was an easy way to him.  
  
She was such a puzzle. For that matter, so was Potter. It was a very large mess when you combined the pieces of two puzzles and then tried to solve them. It often became a challenge, but Draco loved a good challenge. He would work it out. He thought he already had the answer, but he didn't like the answer he had, and he desperately wanted to find another.  
  
The answer he had was a weakness. If there was one thing his father had installed into him, it was not to show weaknesses, and if possible, not to have them at all. Unfortunately, Draco was almost sure he had one, possibly even two, and that ate at him.  
  
  
  
While they danced, Hermione's mind wandered. Or rather, she made herself think of something besides the tall boy in front of her, and her mind couldn't chose one topic, so it switched around a lot. Almost everything she thought of came back to Ron, though.  
  
That was why when she bumped into something solid she was so startled. She tripped, falling right into Ron. He had the nerve to actually look concerned! 'He is, you idiot. Just because you want to slap him doesn't mean you can go get mad at him for nothing!' That was when she realized what that solid thing was. Her eyes went wide. Ron only looked nervous! Not everything she was feeling. Which was... 'Nervousness, you idiot.' She seemed to be calling herself that a lot lately.  
  
"Your brothers better sleep with their eyes open," she said craning her neck to look up at him. He was a good foot taller then her, damn him! 'His height now? Now you are mad at him for things he can't help?' Oh, how she wanted to be mad at him. But her practical side knew it wasn't practical, and wouldn't let her. But how she wanted to.  
  
"I'll be sure to warn them. Hold still." He kissed her! He kissed her! In front of everybody! Without warning! Now she had plenty of reason to be angry, and couldn't do it. Because- 'Because you liked it and you know it. You wish it had been more then a peck on the lips, you wish he would do it again.' Damn that practical side. It always told her things she didn't want to hear. But it had saved her from very many things quite often.  
  
Ron simply started to dance again, and she had to follow, he was leading. She couldn't even see his face to judge the expression without being very obvious about it.  
  
"Mystery girl will be jealous," she said mildly, but her eyes still flashed every time she thought about 'mystery girl'. Ron chuckled. Chuckled! When she was tearing herself up inside. Her practical side only had to clear its throat to get its point across.  
  
"She already is," he said, the smile audible in his voice. "Hey, look behind you, who is that?"  
  
She looked over her shoulder and quickly saw who Ron was talking about. Harry was dancing with some girl that she didn't know. She scanned the crowd, and quickly spotted Ginny dancing with a boy named Bill. She grimaced. Ginny had told her about that boy.  
  
"Don't know. She probably asked him to dance and he couldn't say no. Don't freak, but Rose is over there." She gestured in Ginny's direction. Ron grew stiff.  
  
"Who is that?"  
  
"His name is Bill. He's in her year. Don't freak, I told you not to."  
  
"I, I won't freak. He just better stay away from her, that's all." Hermione grinned, if he had seen the episode with Malfoy and Rose, he would have really freaked. But luckily she was facing them, and his back was on them.  
  
  
  
Harry fell into his chair, and Sally wound up his leg. " 'Lo Sal, did you just get here?" he hissed.  
  
"No. I've been here for a while, but you were alwaysss dancing, and alwaysss with sssomebody new."  
  
Harry grinned. "I can't say no to them. They always cry when I do. I don't like it when girls cry."  
  
"And Ginny? Doesss she not like to sssee the boysss cry?"  
  
"I think it's more that she doesn't have the heart to say no. She's getting dances from Slytherin too, not a single one approached me."  
  
"They don't like you. They like her, becaussse their leader dancesss with her."  
  
"Malfoy."  
  
"Yesss, the ice child."  
  
"He told her, about his arm. You better stay with her tonight, she's may be okay now, but she will be upset about it later. I want her to stay away from him. I don't have the right to tell her to, but I wish I could. I don't trust him not to hurt her. I don't trust him to know what will hurt her."  
  
"Oh, I think he knowsss. I alssso think he knowsss that she hasss enough friendsss to sssupport her if she getsss hurt once in a while."  
  
Harry watched the mistletoe catch various couples. He himself had been caught twice, both with girls who's names he hadn't known. One had run off to her friends squealing, the other sat down like her legs wouldn't have held her.  
  
"Go find a wall flower to dance with, Harry," Sally said at his ankle. "Make some girl have a very Merry Christmas."  
  
Harry sighed slightly, then did as she said. He smiled at the people he passed. People worried when he showed any form of irritation or anger.  
  
  
  
Bill had asked Ginny to dance, again. She had known that he had a crush on her, but this was a little absurd.  
  
Bill was grinning like an idiot though, even if he did keep stepping on her feet. It was a change from Draco or Harry, both of whom danced very well. Draco had a lot of practice, Harry was a natural.  
  
She glanced over Bill's shoulder at Harry, who was dancing with another girl now. She knew he just wasn't turning down offers, but that still didn't help the stab of jealousy that followed. She didn't catch the sigh before it escaped her.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Bill asked anxiously.  
  
"No," Ginny lied, pasting a smile on her face, and managed not to wince as he stepped on her foot again.  
  
When he finally got away from them, Harry collapsed into a chair. It was surprising for it not to feel cold and wet when it looked like it. He let out a relived sigh, and heard an echoed one on his side. He looked over in surprise to see Ginny, as she did the same. They both started laughing. They didn't have to ask why the other one was sighing.  
  
Sally made her way up to the back of Harry's chair. The night was winding down. Only a few couples were still dancing, many had already left for bed. Heather had finally hit the dance floor, with her date "Paul" once more. Sirius had decided to keep that name. "Paul" caught Harry's eye and winked.  
  
Harry chuckled as he watched Fred and George bow to each other, and start to dance across the floor, both trying to lead. Both of their dates had gone of to bed, practically having to hold each other up. Harry thought mildly that the only person who could match one of the twin's energy was the other twin. Their dance brought laughs from the tired people present.  
  
Harry spotted Malfoy sitting on the other side of the Hall, his arms crossed as he glared at the air. He must have really hated air with a passion the way he glared at it. Harry bit his lip. Damn the boy. He could do so much, be so much. Harry didn't really trust his family more then he could throw them, less actually.  
  
Heather finally started to usher people out of the Hall. Anybody not staying for Christmas break had to be up early the next morning, and the way things were going at Hogwarts, most people wanted to leave.  
  
  
  
Harry was staring at the bed curtains when he heard Seamus and Dean wake, almost simultaneously. He himself had slept maybe about two hours, which compared to some nights was pretty good, but for how tired he was at that moment, it was horrible.  
  
He didn't need to touch his eyes to feel the bags under them. They felt heavy enough. He blinked, and waited until the whole dorm was awake before he poked his head out of the curtain.  
  
"Morning, everybody."  
  
"Morning Harry," Dean said looking up. "You look like shit." Seamus, who was attempting to pull Neville out of bed, looked up.  
  
Harry grinned. "Thanks, Dean. It's nice to know you care."  
  
"Are you sick?" Neville asked sleepily.  
  
Harry bit his lip, crossing his fingers inside the bed curtains. He hated lying. "I've got a little cold, that's all. Not enough to slow me down. You all should get out of here, you'll be late."  
  
"Thanks again for the potions," Seamus called, racing down out the door.  
  
"No problem!"  
  
When Dean and Neville had left, and Ron had gone downstairs, Harry stood in front of the mirror. He popped out the green earring he had worn to match his shirt the night before and put back in his regular snake. The snake was always his favorite, mainly because in this school it was a small reminder. The snake was the Slytherin symbol, but it was gold with red eyes, the Gryffindor colors. It reminded him of where he had almost been sorted.  
  
He sighed at his appearance. They were right, and there was nothing he could do about it besides splashing cold water on his face.  
  
'You wouldn't be up all night if you just did it,' a voice in his head said. A wave of guilt rushed over him. He knew he had done nothing to try and find the statue his father had talked about. He had promised himself he would work on it during Christmas break, and he knew he wouldn't keep that promise.  
  
'This is break,' he told the voice. 'I deserve a break to.'  
  
'Liar. You are afraid of it, admit-'  
  
"I am not!" he shouted, then realized he had said it out loud.  
  
When Harry walked down to the common room, it was almost deserted. Ron and Hermione sat playing chess, and Ginny was curled up on the couch with a book titled Helga Hufflepuff- the Peacekeeper. This did very little to help with Harry's gilt.  
  
"Hey Rose, I have to go down and stir those potions, want to come? You can protect me from Snape."  
  
Without looking up Ginny slowly placed a bookmark in her book, and stood. "Alright."  
  
"I should come," Hermione said, looking up from the game.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it for you guys."  
  
"Thanks," Ron muttered, not looking up from the board.  
  
Harry and Ginny walked to the dungeons silently. They opened to door to the Potions classroom to find Snape already present, and stirring.  
  
"Potter," he said by way of greeting.  
  
"Good morning, Professor," Harry responded.  
  
"Morning," Ginny chirped, and Snape noticed her with a start. He quickly moved his gaze away from them.  
  
"Wanna help?" Harry asked.  
  
"Sure, what do I do?"  
  
"Their labeled, just use the wooden spoon, and turn three times clockwise. It's everybody in the Gryffindor dorm, you take the girls, and I'll do the boys."  
  
"Just what are you doing Potter?"  
  
Harry turned around. "I told my house mates that I would stir their potions for them if they were leaving. I'm just covering Ron and Hermione since I'm down here."  
  
"Is that so? Did you really think that I would assign homework that could not be completed?"  
  
"I didn't," Ginny said, without stopping her slow turn of the spoon in Lavender's cauldron. "I figured it either slipped your mind, or you were planning to do it for them, but I'm more informed."  
  
Harry was confused, and Snape glared at her back. "Yes, I was going to do it for them. It had thought that was implied. But as you seem to have worked it out, I'll leave you to it."  
  
"I guess the Slytherins would rather fail then work together," Harry said with a soft chuckle. "They aren't all gone."  
  
Severus didn't reply, and Harry started to slowly turn the spoons. Ginny finished first, and wordlessly moved over and started to help with the boy's potions. "What do you think you'll turn into?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Dunno really. Somehow, I don't think I'll be a stag like my dad. It doesn't really fit my personality. What would you be?"  
  
"I'd really like to think something cute and lovable, but I doubt it really. I have no idea, actually. What do you think I'd be?"  
  
Harry finished the last one and turned around to look at her. He studied her for a moment. "Something small, and good-natured. Something gold. You'd be shy, but powerful and smart. Something with wings, I think you would be something that flies."  
  
"Professor, will we be doing this next year also?"  
  
Snape nodded without turning. His mouth was pushed into a thin line.  
  
"Alright, you tell me, what would I be?"  
  
Ginny looked at him for a moment. "You conflict. You would be something brave, but also something that is cunning, and sly. You'd be loyal, but proud. You'd be red, gold, and green. Something smart, but easily blinded, and dense. Something large, but something that can sneak around. Something that can fly, is high above, but also something grounded. Does that make any sense?"  
  
Harry grinned at her, taking her shoulder and leading her away. "Not at all, Rose, but that's okay, I'll know soon."  
  
  
  
During the break, the Dream Team convinced Hagrid to bring them a tree for the Common room. They invited Hagrid, Sirius, and Heather to come down and help decorated it. They spent the whole morning making ornaments with various supplies (including magic) to hang when their visitors got there.  
  
Sirius came as Paul, and it helped that there was nobody in the room to see them anyway. "The star goes on last," Hermione said, placing the very shiny star to one side.  
  
They all grabbed ornaments and started to hang them, by hand or by magic. "You know what, you guys should spend Christmas eve here, and then we could all spend Christmas morning together," Harry said while he floated an ornament to the top.  
  
"I couldn' leave Fang, and 'e's not 'llowed in the castle," Hagrid said.  
  
"I could come," Heather said, "But only if somebody agrees to sleep down here with me. I won't sleep a wink alone down here, it's too creepy."  
  
"I'll protect you," Paul said. It was always a shock for Harry to hear such a different voice come from somebody who looked so much like Sirius. "We'll be here, Harry."  
  
"Hey Ron," Heather asked, looking up at him. "Are you still going though with your 'Mystery Girl' plan?"  
  
Ron's ears flushed red. "Yes, I was happy she stayed for break. I really hadn't considered what would have happened if she went home."  
  
"He'sss shaking in hisss shoesss," Sally's hiss was muffled slightly by the ornament she had in her mouth as she slid up the tree.  
  
"Nervous?" Harry asked with a grin.  
  
"Wouldn't you be!"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Dunno, never been there."  
  
"I would be if I were you," Sirius, or rather Paul, said with a smirk. "But never if I was me."  
  
Heather half-heartedly threw an ornament at him. "S-," she quickly changed what she was going to say, "Stop, or Harry will turn out like you, and then Lily and James will come back and haunt me for letting it happen."  
  
"What's wrong with being like me!"  
  
Harry chuckled, and watched as his godparents 'Fake-fought' as he called it. He sat back and watched them for a moment, and then realized something that made his heart swell.  
  
He was spending Christmas with his family.  
  
Something of the revelation must have shown on his face. "What is it, Harry?" Hagrid asked.  
  
Harry smiled, and for the moment he really didn't look sick or tired, "I'm just so happy to spend this holiday with all of you. It's like my family is all together."  
  
They all stopped to look at him, love shined on everyone of their faces. Then suddenly, the lack of sleep hit Harry hard. It had been draining him, but all of the sudden he was dizzy and his vision blacked out. He leaned back on the couch, and fell asleep instantly.  
  
"Should we wake him?" Ron asked.  
  
"No," Ginny answered. "He hasn't been sleeping again. Let him go while he can."  
  
  
  
Christmas Eve came all too slowly. When it did, however, it came with snow. They placed the presents to each other around the tree, and sent others home to their destinations. Heather was setting up a place for herself on the couch in front of the fire.  
  
Too soon for Heather's taste, the Dream Team filtered up to bed. Coals still burned in the fire as Sirius turned the light off.  
  
Heather shivered in spite of herself, stepping closer to the little light that the coals offered.  
  
"Heather?" His voice made her jump.  
  
"W- what," she asked, pulling her blanket closer around her shoulders.  
  
Sirius walked up behind her, and to her dismay, took the blanket from her. "Your not still afraid of the dark, are you?"  
  
"No!" She said, even hearing herself that her voice was too high. "What makes you think that?"  
  
"Because you're clutching a blanket for dear life when it's nice and warm in here."  
  
"I'm just cold."  
  
Heather could feel her heart jump as he wrapped his arms around her. "Still cold?" he asked, a smirk audible in his voice.  
  
"No," she whispered.  
  
(A/N: Sorry for the delay, heh. I have about a hundred reasons, none of which you want to hear. Next Chapter... CHRISTMAS Find out what has happened between Sirius and Heather. Discover the identity of 'Mystery Girl', and find out what everybody gave each other for Christmas. I've been asked about Fan fanfiction (you writing a fanfiction about this story) No I don't mind! Just tell me so I can read it! There is no bigger compliment in my mind! (Ps, I don't write lemons, if you want to write it, be my guest.) Thanks for reading, and a special thanks to Sal's Fan Club.) 


	31. Christmas Morning

Chapter 31

Christmas Morning

Harry woke up to Ron shaking him violently. It was the first full night of sleep Harry had gotten in a long time, and even knowing what day it was didn't make it any more pleasant to have his sleep interrupted.

"How is it you can't wake up any other morning on time?" Harry asked rubbing his eyes, his speech slightly slurred with sleep.

"It's Christmas! Come on, I bet the girls are already there."

In fact, they met the girls at the mid-way section where the stairs combined. When they did reach the tree, the sight that greeted them was even more spectacular then the pile of presents.

Sirius laid on the couch, and Heather laid right beside him, or rather, on top of him, both covered by a single blanket, and both were sound asleep.

Harry walked over to the couch, and gently shook his godfather's shoulder. Sirius blinked sleepily at him, and when recognition came into his eyes he looked down at the weight on top of him.

Sirius grinned, and Harry knew he was finally seeing the Sirius his parents knew, even if his hair was cut different and his eyes were a different color. The dull look in his eyes, that Azkaban had given him, that even changing the color didn't get rid of, had vanished. Not a trace of it remained.

Harry politely turned his attention to the tree. Harry caught Ginny's eye and they both smiled. As he sat down beside his friends he whispered. "What did I tell you, Christmas." They all couldn't help but smile.

Sirius tightened the arm he had around Heather. She mumbled something indefinable. "Heather," Sirius whispered. "Wake up."

"Mmm?"

"It's Christmas morning, the kids are already down here."

Heather buried her face father into Sirius' chest. "Tell them to go away."

Sirius chuckled, but sat up, bringing Heather with him. Once upright, things started to dawn on Heather. She flushed bright red when she saw the four kids looking anywhere but at her.

"Merry Christmas, Heather."

Heather let her head fall against Sirius' shoulder. "You too," she whispered, then said aloud. "Who's going first?"

"I am!" Harry said with a grin, grabbing a pile of presents from under the tree and passing them around.

Sirius chuckled as Harry handed him his gift. "Trust Harry to think you meant who wanted to give first, not get."

Harry blushed, but passed the gifts out anyway.

Ron opened his first. He pulled the paper off to see the cover of a book. Across it the title read; "All the Quidditch Plays You Ever Wanted to Know and Some You Don't". Ron opened it to a random page and his attention was immediately claimed by whatever he saw there. Distractedly, he muttered his thanks.

Hermione opened hers next, which was also a book. She laughed at the title. "101 Potions You Never Knew You Didn't Know"

"I figured it would let you learn some of the ones that they don't think are important enough to put in our text books."

"Like all the fun ones," Ron said looking up from his book and setting it carefully aside.

Ginny carefully opened up hers, and gasped when she saw what it was. "Harry, how?"

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"A- a poster, Golden Sky Navy Stars, but it's autographed. By all ten of them. Harry, how did you get this?"

"Do you like it?" he asked anxiously.

"Like it? I love it! It's amazing. I mean, one signature isn't too hard, but all ten, wow."

Harry grinned, a felt like a burden was lifted from him. Out of the three of them, it was Ginny's gift he had stressed about.

"Heather, Sirius, I want to give this to you now," Ginny said. "It's not all of your present, but I want to know what you think about it." She handed them a small package. Heather let Sirius pull the paper off. Inside was a picture frame, and when he saw the picture, his eyes went wide in shock. Wordlessly, he passed the frame to Heather.

Heather looked at the picture and gasped, throwing a hand over her mouth. Her eyes watered with unshed tears, but she was smiling. "It's our camping trip. Lily's favorite picture. Her bookmark. I remember when she lost it."

"Let us see."

Heather turned the picture so that the kids could see it. In the picture, Sirius, Remus, James, Lily, and Heather were all around a camp fire. Heather was sitting on Sirius' shoulders. Remus and James had Lily sitting on their shoulders between them. Like most wizard pictures, they were moving. James and Remus were losing their balance, and Lily toppled foreword off of them, saved from hitting the ground by James who caught her. Heather was hitting Sirius repeatedly on the head like drums, and appeared to be singing at the top of her lungs. Then Sirius' hand went behind his head and presumably hit Heather on the butt. Her eyes went wide in shock and her singing stopped. But with her feet hanging over Sirius' shoulders onto his chest, she easily repaid him with a hard kick.

"Rose, how did you find this? It was Lily's bookmark. She lost it in her sixth year."

"I found it in a book. It was actually marking the page I wanted. She must have left it in there."

Heather smiled at the picture, and glanced around the room to make sure there was nobody around. "Look at that, Padfoot. I was so obviously in love with you."

Sirius chuckled. "Obviously is the word for it. Lily didn't even have to tell me. Even being a guy I noticed."

Heather cringed. "I had it really bad."

Sirius leaned down and whispered in her ear, and whatever he said made Heather turn bright red.

"My turn," Hermione called, passing her gifts out to her friends. This time Harry opened his first, which also held a book. "Professional Quidditch, What to Do and What Not to Do."

Ginny opened hers next, and studied it for a moment. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Depends how well you have been studying for your next test."

"Is this a CD player?"

Hermione nodded. "The other things are some CDs. You kept going on about Muggle Studies and asking me so much, I figured I'd give you a little piece of the Muggle world right here."

Ginny's face lit up. "Wow, and it has those wires, and batteries. Hermione, I meant to ask, does it hurt the battery when it dies?"

Hermione and Heather burst into laughter, and Hermione hugged her best friend, telling her through her giggles that they would talk about it later.

Harry's present from Sirius looked like a clear, plastic spider. It had Harry very confused before Heather hit Sirius to make him explain. "It's a sound sealer. You stick it on a wall and push the button. As long as nobody walks in or leaves, it absorbs any sound that would otherwise leave the room. And it requires no magic, so you can use it during the summer."

"Wow, thanks Sirius! Now I can do my homework without worrying about waking them up."

Ron's present was heavy, and it required both Ron and Harry to get the paper off. When Ron opened the box, the first thing he pulled out was a chess board. Only it wasn't a regular chess board. It was good quality marble, but the design on it made Ron gape. On one side was the Forbidden Forest, in the middle was the lake and the grounds, and on the other side was the castle. It was an amazing likeness.

Then Ron pulled out the pieces. His mouth formed a small 'o' as he set them up. The forest side's pieces went on first. 

In place of the king was a dragon, and the queen was a Hipogriph. The bishops were dementors, the knights three headed dogs like Fluffy, and the rooks were Womping Willows. All the pawns were spiders. 

On the side of the board that had the castle there was a different set of pieces. This king was unmistakably Dumbledore. The queen was McGonagall, and it's lips were thinned just like hers always were when she was angry. The bishops were Hagrid, the knights Fang, and the rooks were broomsticks. All the pawns were Ron, right down to his freckles. Every piece was carved from marble with amazing accuracy.

"It's a Muggle set," Hermione said while Ron stared at it. "They don't move unless you make them, and they only leave the board if you pick them up. Do you like it?"

Ron swallowed once. "Books, how did you get this? Where did you get this?"

"A friend of my father's carves. I had Collen take some Muggle pictures last year to send to him. He had no idea they were real, and he's very good. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Ron said looking up at her with a grin.

Hermione turned slightly pink in the cheeks. "I'll be the first to play you, so you can break it in my kicking my butt."

Ginny reached over and picked up one of the pawns. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Ron, but you're not this good looking." Ron glared at her. "Alright, alright, I take it back. It's my turn." Ginny handed Ron and Hermione their presents first.

Hermione opened hers. Inside the paper was a daily calendar, and each day held a new charm. "Rose, this is cool. With this, and the book Harry got me, we're going to be causing all kinds of trouble."

When Ron ripped the paper off, he stared at his present in confusion. The cover was just blue, the title was inside. "Gryfindor Quidditch Team Plays". Every other page after that held a faint outline of a Quidditch field.

"What's it for?"

"Harry and I have been talking, and we want you to draw some new plays for the team. That's what his book was for, and now this. With your help, and our team, there's no possible way we can lose."

Ron grinned. "I'd love too! Here, you guys open yours." Ron threw a packages at both Harry and Ginny.

Harry caught his with a grunt, it was heavy. Ginny grinned at hers, and held it up to her forehead and closed her eyes.

"I'm seeing, I am seeing, a tiny book. Wait, it's blank. I am seeing, a diary!" She ripped the paper away to reveal just that. Ron grinned at her. "He promised me," Ginny explained. "Ever since my first year, he's promised that he will get me a diary every year for Christmas."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Heather exclaimed. "You got lucky in the sibling area, Rose. My sisters were horrid."

"Lucky?" Ginny exclaimed, turning to Heather with wide eyes. "Have you met Fred and George? Or, God forbid, Percy?" They all laughed.

Harry's present was obviously a book, if a very heavy book. But when he removed the paper, he was surprised by two books. The first one read. "-Strenuous Sword Skills." Inside, along with the pages, was a sword caring kit. The other book read "The History of Magical Swords."

"Thanks Ron, I'll put both of these to good use."

Ron nodded. "There's a chapter on your sword in there. That's why I got it for you." Harry's eyes lit up at that, and he had to suppress the urge to open it and read it on the spot.

Ginny turned her attention to the small package she still held. "Harry?"

He looked up at her, his eyes twinkling in anticipation of what was waiting in the book on his lap. "Here," she said, practically throwing the small package at him.

He raised his eyebrows at her nervousness, but turned his attention away from her blushing face. He pulled the paper away to reveal a small, but rather thick, little notebook. Across the top it read 'Notes'. He opened the first page and held back a gasp.

On the page was a picture, one he already owned a copy of. His parents, holding him as a baby. Under the picture was a note in Ginny's handwriting.

__

Dear Harry,

Memories last a life time, 

but just to be on the safe side,

we invented paper.

With Love,

Rose

The history of the Potter family. It is a family with many secrets, and holes, but maybe if everything is written down, the whole story can be worked out. In this book you will see the family lines of Lily and James Potter as far back as they can be traced. You will also see any information worth noting of the Potter family. This book is not finished, but then, it never will be, because the Potter family will continue, bringing more to the story.

Holding his breath, Harry turned the page again. There was his family tree:

__

(A/N: The real family tree doesn't work on FFN. If you would like to see it, E-mail me at Kkismagic@aol.com I'll just summarize it for you here.)

Daisy Rel married John Evans. They had Lily Evans and Petunia Evans.

Laura Jacklin married Chad Potter. They had James Potter

Lily Evans married James Potter. They had Harry Potter.

Petunia Evans married Vernon Dursley. They had Dudley Dursley.

On the next page was a picture. It was of a young woman with shoulder length blond hair. She had blue eyes, and somewhat resembled Harry's aunt, but she was very pretty.

__

Daisy Rel~ Daisy was a Muggle. She was born and raised in London, England. She was always described as a very sweet and caring person. She loved everybody, and never let anything get her down. She died at the age of forty-nine on September twenty first of a bad heart. This was only five days after her husband passed. She left behind two daughters, Lily fifteen, Petunia nineteen.

The next picture had a man with red hair and bright green eyes. The picture, like the first, was a Muggle picture, but the man's laughter was so visible, moving would have added nothing.

__

John Evans~ John was a Muggle, who lived just north of London in his adult years. He was an artist, but mostly specialized in carving animals or such. He was always seen as a happy man, and loved his work even when the carvings weren't selling. He died in an automobile accident when he was hit by a drunk driver on September sixteenth at the age of fifty-three.

Then there was a very beautiful woman in a wizard picture. She was sitting on a broomstick in front of a Quidditch goal post. She had shoulder length black curly hair. Her face was pale, her eyes as dark as her hair. Her lips were very red, and curved into a small smile.

__

Laura Jacklin~ Laura was a witch, born and raised in Italy. She moved to England when she was twenty two. There, she met her husband, who was actually her parent's best friends' son. They were married the very next year. She died in child birth at the age of thirty two.

The next picture held a shorter man with sandy brown hair. He had light brown eyes. The picture moved, but the man didn't. He stood glaring at the person who held the camera, his arms crossed. Then he grinned, but he didn't move from his spot.

__

Chad Potter~ Very little is known about Chad. He lived with his parents in Godric's Hallow, where his wife moved in and his parents out when he was married. What he did for a living is not specified, and he very probably didn't work. He was home schooled by his parents, and the only personality traits found was that he was spoiled by them, even as an adult. He died at the age of forty nine, but the reason is not recorded. Chad's death was, for an unknown reason, kept secret for the next ten years, and onlt then went to the public files. His son, James, was twelve when he died.

Harry turned the page to see his mother and father's pictures. Each had a page to themselves. The whole room was silent while he read to himself.

__

Lily Evans~ Lily was a Muggle-born witch who lived outside of London. At school she had no very close friends in her year. Her best friend was three years younger then her, Heather Deleve. Her other friends were all a year older then her. James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Petigrew, and Severus Snape. At school, she was very good. Her best, and favorite, class was Charms. Lily was always quiet and shy, and until Heather's arrival, spent most of her time with her cat 'Kitten'. She was also very kind and caring. She would never turn down a plea for help, be it in advice or a study buddy. When her parents died in her fifth year, it ripped Lily apart. People she had never talked to said it tore them up to see her so upset, because she normally was always smiling. This tragedy, however, is what brought her and James Potter together. Lily was not old enough to be on her own, but her older sister did not want to see her. Lily spent her holidays at various friends' houses. She married at the age seventeen, and shortly after was pregnant with her son. Her birthday was March sixteenth, and her favorite color was blue. Lily loved to care for plants and garden. She died by the hand of Voldemort, on Halloween at the age nineteen, while in hiding at Chad and Laura Potter's old house in Godric's Hallow.

James Potter~ James was a wizard. He was very good in school, and in the top three of all of his classes. His best subjects were Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father when he was twelve. However, nobody was told of this. Where James lived for the remainder of his school years is unclear, as the house in Godric's Hallow remained empty until he and his wife used it for hiding. Though most of his summers where spent at friends' houses. Even the headmaster at the time, Albus Dumbledore, had no idea that he was without a family. He officially got the nickname of 'Prongs' and everything it entailed in his fifth year. In his sixth year, he and Lily Evans became a couple. When he graduated, he couldn't stand to be away from Lily for a year, and therefore came back to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He held the job for a year, and proposed to Lily during that year. They were married the next year when he was eighteen. James' birthday was January eighth, and his favorite color was red. He was also one of the writers of the Marauder's Map, which he reportedly left a room off of. This room only he knew the way into, and also Lily later was able to get there. James loved Quidditch, and played the position of Chaser on the Gryffindor team. He turned down Dumbledore's offer to recommend him for a professional team. James also loved to paint, and some his work is still residing at the Black household. Others are missing, and are suspected to be in the room that James claimed only he and his father could open. James died on Halloween at the age of nineteen by the hand of Voldemort.

Harry only glanced at the rest of the pages of information. There were notes on everything. Scores from the games James had played in. A sketch that James had drawn. A charms essay that Lily had wrote, complete with notes to Sirius in the margins. There were notes on the family that Harry had that wasn't on the tree. People whom all of the information was unclear. There were notes on what Godric's Hallow was now, about the memorial that stood over where his parents had died.

Harry knew none of it. Some of it he had never even realized he didn't know. But there were pages and pages, full of Ginny's neat handwriting. Even the messages from her dreams were recorded in it.

Harry looke"Wow, Rose, that was really sweet."

"Yeah, Ginny, that must have taken a very long time."

Ginny blushed slightly as Harry let her go, but she smiled.

"Are we done yet?" Heather asked.

"No, Ron's present to Hermione is all that's left," Ginny answered.

"Oh," Ron said, reaching under the chair. He handed a small package to Hermione then sat back down. "Here."

"Thanks."

Hermione slowly pulled the paper away to reveal a small blue velvet box. Her lips pressed tight as she opened it, and her eyes burned when she saw the tiny little owl earrings staring back at her.

"Ron," she started, her voice actually steady, "I think you've given me the wrong box." She looked up at him, expecting his eyes to go wide start apologizing, but he was looking at the floor, his face bright as fire.

And suddenly the practical voice inside Hermione hit her. Hard. How could she not have seen it? She was so blind.

She stood and crossed to room to where Ron was sitting, and slapped him. Very hard.

Ron shot out of his seat, taken completely by surprise. "What did you do that for?" he shouted.

"You let me think for three months that you were in love with somebody else!" Hermione screamed. "Do you have any idea what you've put me through!"

A few people still in their dorms were coming out to see what the noise was about. When they saw Ron and Hermione, most of them grinned and leaned against the stairway railing to watch. Fights were always good entertainment.

"Well if I would have known that you cared, I never would have!"

Hermione took a step toward him, and raised her hand to slap his other cheek, but Ron caught it. She went on as if this had been her own idea. "If you had known? IF YOU HAD KNOWN? I've been dropping you hints for the past FOUR YEARS!"

Ron stepped closer still, their faces were only inches apart. "HINTS? None that I've seen! How am I supposed to know what a hint even _is_!"

"Ron, you are a-" But what, exactly, Ron was, the common room never learned, because Hermione was suddenly cut off by Ron's lips. 

The kiss only lasted about three seconds before Ron pull back about four inches. Hermione, however, didn't even look startled.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

"I THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE IT!"

"Well I did!"

"Fine then!"

"Fine!"

He kissed her again, and this time it lasted considerably more then three seconds. It was the applause from everybody in the room that broke them apart. Both turned _very_ red.

"Finally it happened!" Harry exclaimed.

"I knew we were right. I thought my talent at knowing these things was leaving. I knew he liked her," Ginny said.

Harry turned to Sirius and Heather. "You have no idea how long Rose and I have been waiting for this. We are the ones that had to deal with them, but now they can deal with themselves."

Ron was staring at the ceiling, ignoring Ginny and Harry, and Hermione was staring at the floor. Both however, wore tiny smiles. Hermione held the box of earrings very tightly, as though she were afraid they would disappear.

"Alright Ron, these are the rules." Ron looked up at Harry, perplexed. _(A/N: As if Ron would know what that word meant.)_ "There will be A- No kissing in the dorm room with the curtains open. B- No spending the night in her dorm without telling me first, I don't want to wonder where you are all night to find out you were snogging down the hall. C- Arguments between the two of you can now be solved in private, we don't want to be involved anymore. D- Please don't kiss in front of me again. E-"

"Harry!" They both cried out at once, their faces the same shade of red.

"What? I'm just getting started. I have the whole list written down for you upstairs. E- I don't want to wake up to find you two in uncomfortable positions in the bed next to mine. F- Please keep it down, I don't get much sleep as it is."

"Harry!" Hermione was hiding her face. Heather, Sirius, and Ginny were all doubled over with laughter. Harry looked over at them.

"Heather, Sirius, all these rules apply to you two also. You already broke rule E this morning." This made Sirius stop laughing and stare at him, but it just made Heather laugh harder.

She hit him in the back of the head. "What? Did you think they wouldn't know?"

"Us not know? We've been betting on when it would happen."

"Really," Sirius said, looking very put-out, "and who won?"

"Harry did," Ginny said with a grin. "He had the exact day. He said Christmas."

Heather and Sirius looked at him, and he grinned. "Just because I've been skipping my Divination classes doesn't mean I've clouded my inner eye. I saw it in my crystal ball."

"Yeah Harry, that's really not fair. She's starting to pick on me now. She predicts every class that you will be absent for the next one, and then she tells me that you are going to be the death of me."

"Maybe you should ask to drop the class, Ron."

"McGonagall won't let me."

"She might if you ask to take up another class."

"How come Harry can get away with it?"

Harry grinned. "I told Dumbledore I've turned it into my sword practice time. He thought it was funny. But maybe I'll show up next class, to throw off her prediction."

"You can't, Harry. As soon as Christmas is over, you have more classes," Heather said. "And I think they gave you one for that period because you play hooky to Divination."

"Heather! I'm insulted. Hooky! I'm not playing it, I'm doing it."

Heather threw a box at him. "You are your father's son, Harry."

__

(A/N: Draco- Well Lily, you really took your time with this one.

Me- Draco, I'm trying to get into high school! Give me a break will you? To everybody out there, I've been studying for finals. So it took a while.

Draco- I'll say.

Me- Shut up lost boy.

Draco- Yeah, about that. How come they all are together in two drawers, and I'm alone?

Me- Cause the one on top is for the good guys, the bottom drawer is for the bad guys, and you're in the middle because they don't know where you are yet.

Draco- But you and I know I'm on the- *covers Draco's mouth with hand* 

Me- Heh heh, hope you liked it!)


	32. Classes, Animals, and Cowards

Chapter 32 

Classes, Animals, and Cowards

            Ginny walked into the quiet library.  The rest of the school would be returning the next morning, and she wanted to get her books out before then.  She set a pile of books up on Madam Pince's desk.

            "I would like to return these please."

            As the librarian started to check them all back in with their cards, she started to take note of the titles.  "I see you are interested in the history of Helga Hufflepuff."

            "Yes Madam.  There are some other books I would like to check out.  They are on the book list, but I didn't see them on the shelf last time."

            "I am guessing you are talking about books with titles like, "The Descendant's War Prophesy", and "Famous Prophesies of Hufflepuff."

            Ginny nodded.  "Yes, yes I am."

            Madam Pince sighed.  "Funny, you look just like her too."

            Ginny's eyes grew wide.  "Lily."  Madam Pince nodded.  

            "That would be the one.  About fifteen years ago she was in here just like you, checking books out on the same subject.  Then all that unfortunate business happened and she ended up leaving the school.  There's no way a book left the school grounds, they are warded against it, but I never found them.  She must have hidden them away somewhere.  Not that I blame her, she was a very sweet child.  Always returned them just as nice as they were when she borrowed them."

             "Did you search for them, Madam Pince?" 

            "From top to bottom of this castle.  I've been here a long time; I know most of its secrets.  But she must have known one that I didn't."

            "Thank you!"

            Ginny ran out of the library.  She had been looking for the wrong thing.  She knew very well that Harry hadn't started looking for the statue yet.  That statue had to somehow lead to this room.  And only Harry would be able to open it.  And Lily was able.  That would be where the books were.  That would be where the answers were.  The answers that Harry was afraid of, the answers she somehow knew he needed for something.

            Draco looked in the mirror of his room.  He slowly curved his mouth into something that resembled a smile, and then cringed.  He reached into the secret door that was hidden behind the mirror.  Out of it he pulled a container of cream, which was the exact shade as his skin.  Carefully, he applied it to his black eye.  The skin soaked it in, and it looked just like normal.

            He turned away from his reflection in disgust.  "Trust father to get drunk the night before I leave," he muttered.  The bruise on his back would never be seen.  He left his trunk for the elves, and walked out of the room.

            As he was heading for the front door, he passed Kindy. 

            "You be going, Master Draco?"

            Draco would have smiled, but he knew it would hurt.  "Yes, Kindy.  Tell everybody thank you for me."

            Kindy looked down at the floor in embarrassed pleasure.  "You needn't thank Kindy, Master Ice Dragon."

            "Where's my father?"  Draco knew they never used their pet name for him unless there was no way Lucias would hear.

            "Master Malfoy sleeps with a hurt head."

            "Hangover.  I don't think I'll hang around for him to wake up.  Leave him a message for me, would you?"

            "Kindy will do anything, Master."

            "Tell him I will write if I make any progress."

            Kindy tried to hide her face, but a house elf's emotions were always clear as day.  "What ever it is, Kindy, just say it."

            "M-Master Ice Dragon has a good heart.  He will not let an- anybody takes it away from Master Ice Dragon.  Kindy hopes."  She turned, and ran down the hall.

            "I order you not to punish yourself for that!"  Draco hated to disappoint them.  But there was nothing else he could do, not with the friends his father had.

            Christmas ended way too early for Harry.  Everybody would be back within the hour.  He sat up with a yawn.  Ron was already sitting awake in the bed over, staring straight ahead and grinning.

            "Ron, are you still not over it?"

            Ron looked over at Harry.  "I can't get over the fact that my plan worked so well."

            "What, that she didn't find out?"

            "No, no.  I spent three months being sickeningly sweet to her to build up that fight.  Oh, it felt so good!"

            "The fight or the kiss?"

            "Both," Ron said with a smirk.  "She's so fun to fight with, Harry.  Her cheeks get red, and her eyebrows lower, and she _glares.  It's great.  She likes it too.  That's why I tried for so long to be so horribly nice.  It made Christmas __perfect."_

            Harry smirked at his best friend's face.  "Ron, you're sly enough for a Slytherin."

            Ron grinned, and sat up to start getting out of bed.

            Classes started the next day.  On the way to Harry's first class of Transfiguration, he was having a very silent, and very violent, fight with himself.  In the end, he finally agreed to start looking for the statue that night.

            Falling into his seat in Trans., he glared at the text like it was the book's fault he was afraid of what his dead father had told him in his sleep.

            _'Yes, AFRAID.  A F R A I D.  I said it.  I'm scared.  There it is.  Coward.  You call yourself a Gryffindor.'_

            "Welcome back, class.  As you may remember, you were all going to be signed up for some new classes after Christmas break.  Now, these classes may have students from any year, four and up.  I will give you a paper on each class you have been signed up for.  The paper will include the time and day you have the class, the teacher you have it with, and who your classmates will be.  These classes rarely have above ten members."

            McGonagall passed out the papers.  Ron ended up with four, Hermione six, and Harry seven.  "Your schedules from here on out will be flexible.  Your classes may change from year to year, or even month to month.  You will always be informed ahead of time."

            Harry turned to his papers.  The one on top was Advanced Transfiguration, taught by Professor McGonagall.

            _In this class you will be tackling some of the harder forms of transfiguration, including self-transformation, and the transformation of others.  Even though this is taught in seventh year, it isn't tried, and only in this class will it be graded._

            Harry scanned the list of his classmates.  He recognized some of the other members as older students.  The two names he recognized right away were Hermione's and Malfoy's.

            The next class was the Parenting class.  Heather taught this one.

            _They call this class parenting, but that is only one of the things we will be learning.  A more appropriate name would be "Life class".  Despite what your other teachers tell you, there is a life after school.  You will be learning some necessary talents in order to survive out in the real world._

            This class was made up mostly of people in Harry's year.  Both Ron and Hermione's names were on the list.

            Heather also taught advanced Defense against the Dark Arts.

            _Anybody who wants to look into a life of defending the world against the Dark Arts should take this class.  Learn the curses that you may someday have to defend yourself against.  _

            Both Ron and Hermione were in this class with Harry, but it was Malfoy's name that surprised him

            Professor Flitwick taught advanced Charms.

            _Learn some of the more powerful Charms and new spells.  We will discuss the differences between charms and spells, and about how the way to make charms was lost._

            Hermione, Ron, and Malfoy had this class with Harry too.

            Professor McGonagall and Heather taught dueling. 

            _The dueling club was unfortunately discontinued.  Since this may be an important skill in later life, we have agreed to start a class.  The class will teach you the rules and regulations of a duel, and in the end we will be having a competition._

_            Harry grinned as he saw that the same three people had this class with him, and also Dean and Seamus._

            The next paper was on Advanced Curses, taught by Snape, Flitwick, Heather, and Dumbledore.  Harry read this description with interest.

            _In this class, we will be learning some of the most difficult curses, spells, and offensive and defensive charms.  Tests and grades are not given in this class; your only objective will be to learn as much as you can. _

            There were very few people in this class. Two seventh year Gryffindors that Harry knew by name only, one seventh year Ravenclaw, and Malfoy.  Harry swallowed once before turning to his last paper.

            Survival.  That was all it said, besides that it met on Thursdays from three to five and was taught in Heather's office.  There was no class list.  Thinking it a mistake, Harry raised his hand.

            "Yes Mr. Potter?"

            "This class, Survival, there's no class list, and no description.  Something must have gone wrong."

            McGonagall's lips thinned.  "No, nothing is wrong."

            "But then I have it all by myself."  When McGonagall didn't respond, Harry realized that he was right, he did have it by himself.  Suddenly the word Survival took on a whole new meaning.

            "Surely you wouldn't object to having your God parent teach you some extra things."

            It was Sirius that was teaching him then.  That was why it said in Heather's office, but not that Heather was the teacher.  "What extra things will I be learning to help me survive, Professor?"  Most of the class was looking up form their own papers to see what was going on.

            "You'll be learning a number of things.  Defensive spells, mostly.  But some of the more, ah, advanced attacking spells."

            _'More advanced?  Then the one's I'll be learning in Advanced Curses?  What is more advanced, besides the killing spells?'_

_            The thought was like being dropped in cold water.  He wanted to scream, to shout all the things he couldn't say.  But he couldn't say them, not aloud._

            So he switched to Parseltongue.  "I can't believe you people!" he hissed, standing and glaring at Professor McGonagall.  "I'm fourteen!  But that's right, why train somebody to seek him out and kill him, if we can just train the one he's after to kill him when he gets here!  Didn't anybody think maybe I don't want to kill him?  Maybe I don't even want him dead.  Maybe I don't even hate him!"

            Then what he had said reached his own ears.  He sat down with a thump, and stared into the air.  _'Not hate him?  Of course I hate him!  How can I not hate him!  He killed my parents!  He killed all those children.  He almost killed Rose!'  That thought exploded with anger, just barely controlled.  But that was what it was, anger, not hate.  Never hate.  _

            "Mr. Potter? Mr. Potter!"  Harry's attention was suddenly jerked back, and McGonagall was trying to talk to him. 

            "Yes Professor?"

            She blinked at him.  He had been talking to himself in another language for the past moment, and had switched back to English so fast that it made her blink.  "Would you like to inform me what you have been hissing about, or would you rather keep it to yourself?"

            Harry stared at her long enough to let her know that he didn't intend to answer her question.  Then he asked one of his own.  "What if I don't want to learn?"

            Professor McGonagall blinked, her mouth opening once, and closing again.  "P-perhaps then you should speak to your teacher then.  You, you will not be forced to, of course.  We can always sign you up for another class.  I'll talk to Dumbledore-"

            "I said what if, Professor," Harry interrupted.  He glared at the desk for a moment before looking back up at her.  "I don't want to, but I will."

            Professor McGonagall's intelligent eyes pierced through him.  "If you wanted to, Harry, we wouldn't let you."

            The class was thoroughly confused, but nobody offered them any information.

            It was almost a relief to walk into Potions.  The potions they had been working on would be ready today.  They would get to test them.  Everybody was excited to see what they would turn into.

            "The potions are ready," Snape said in his sour voice.  "Because of the danger of this potion, they have all already been tested and all of them work, there's no risk of it going wrong."  Snape seemed rather put out by this.  "Each of you will come to the front of the class, and drink a vile of your own potion.  This potion will not actually turn you into the animal that you would be, but rather portray that animal around you.  Brown, you first."

            They were rather entertained for a while, watching their classmates turn into various animals, sometimes rather embarrassing animals, such as when Neville turned into a small brown bunny.  Or when Dean and Seamus both turned into raccoons.

            When Hermione was called, Harry couldn't help but sit on the edge of his seat.  This was doing a very good job of cheering him up, even if it was Snape's class.

            Just as Hermione was about to drink the potion, there was a knock at the door.  Heather didn't even wait for Snape to open it to come in.  "Oh, good.  I didn't miss anything.  I told my class to go have fun so I could come see this.  I know you don't mind Severus."

            Snape very apparently did mind, but Heather ignored the glare he gave her very well.  Hermione downed the potion in one large gulp.  A light surrounded her. The light then started to change, and it formed a kind of double image.  When you looked one way it was Hermione, but when you looked another way it was a brown owl.  

            Ron ginned.  "That is so Hermione."

            "I have to agree," Heather said as the owl that was Hermione tried to turn its head all the way around.  After a while, the image around her faded, and she walked back to her seat.

            "Draco Malfoy, you're next."

            Malfoy picked up the vile of his potion.  He examined it for a moment and shook it hard before sipping it slowly down.  The image that formed around Draco was much larger then the boy himself.

            "A dragon," said Heather, looking interested.

            "Not a pure breed though," Ron said standing and walking a little closer.  "He looks like a mix between a Swedish Short-Snout and an Opaleye.  See the silver scales, that's a Short-Snout.  But the eyes are an Opaleye.  But it's possible he's a really small, really light colored Opaleye.  If I could see the flame I would know."

            The dragon image that was Draco glared at Ron, and blew fire at him.  The fire was a bright purple, and as it was an image, didn't even warm Ron.  "Yes, he's a mix.  An Opaleye has bright scarlet fire, and a Short-Snout has a bright blue.  When they interbreed, which has never happened in the wild since they live in different areas, the fire is purple."

            "So much for Malfoy being a pure-blood," Harry said with a smirk.  The image around Malfoy faded and he glared at both Ron and Harry.

            "How is it that you know so much about dragons, Weasley?"

            "My brother, Charlie," Ron replied.  "You'll be happy to know Malfoy that neither dragon is violent or known to attack people.  In fact, the Opaleye only kills when it's hungry."

            "A magical creature," interrupted Snape, "is a rare thing for a wizard to turn into.  It requires a very powerful wizard."  He beamed at Malfoy.  "Congratulations, Mr. Malfoy."  With Heather in the room, Snape couldn't get away with putting the Dream Team down.  So instead, he boasted Malfoy up.

            When Ron walked up to be tested, Hermione grabbed the leg of the desk to squeeze.  Harry smirked at her, then turned his attention to Ron as he swallowed the potion.  The double image showed a small red fox, and Harry grinned.  That really was Ron.  Long, fast, sly, smart, and cunning.  In fact, if Ron weren't so brave and had such a good heart, he would have made a good Slytherin, if good was ever a word that could be used to describe a Slytherin.

            They went through the whole class, and only Harry was left.  It was just like Snape to save Harry for last.  When his name was called, Heather jumped up before he could.

            "Harry, I know you have more then one vile of potion.  I trust your potion making, so can I try it?  We never got to do this potion.  I know Severus doesn't care."

            Harry nodded, and Heather walked, or rather bounced to the front of the room.  Ginning at Snape, she drank the vile of potion.

            Around Heather appeared the image of a dolphin.  It was easy for Harry to recognize it as Heather because it had the same intelligent, yet mischievous glint in its eyes.  The Heather dolphin waved its tail at Snape, who rolled his eyes.

            "Won't you ever grow up?"

            The image faded and Heather shook off the side effects.  "I don't intend to, know.  You're only thirty-three, Severus.  Live a little."

            Instead of walking back to where she had been sitting, Heather jumped up to sit on Snape's desk.

            "Just a little information for you all, as I'm sure Severus didn't tell you anything but how to make it.  If any of you ever do take the step of becoming an animal, never drink this potion again."  She giggled.  "The effects are interesting to watch, but not any fun to experience, I'm sure.  Also, you might notice when you get older, and stop changing every three days, the animal you turn into and you will share a mark.  Something that can identify the animal as you.  Such as Professor McGonagall has the marking around her eyes when she turns into a cat that look just like her glasses.  You may already have your mark, if you have something that won't change even as you age."

            "And how is it that you know so much about this, Deleve?"

            Snape knew very well how Heather knew so much, and so did the Dream Team.  Harry's back stiffened, but Heather didn't miss a beat.

            "That's Heather to you, Severus.  You don't see me going around calling you Snape, do you?  The reason I know so much about it is Lily, really.  She was afraid of what happens when you turn into animals.  So in her seventh year, she did all kinds of research on it.  She thought that the knowledge would erase her fear.  But her real fear was not turning into an animal, but what she herself would turn into.  She must have thought she would become something really horrible.  But that year, James was teaching here.  I had him brew some of this stuff.  She never forgave me.  James held her down, and I poured it into her mouth."  She giggled.  "Then James made her swallow." Snape stood leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and staring at the floor.  But if one cared to look very closely, a very slight smile could be seen on his face.

            "What did she turn into?" Harry asked as he refilled the vile.

            "A unicorn, with bright green eyes.  They usually have light blue or gray eyes.  Your father took it too, and he was a stag."  Harry smiled.

            "Well Little Man, your turn."  The nickname made Harry pause, and he wished he could say something to her about it, but couldn't because there were people around.  Heather always called him a number of things, such as sweety, sweetling, honey, hon, love, and various things.  But only Sirius had ever called him Little Man, and he wondered what had brought this on.  It didn't bother him; in fact it made him feel good that Heather saw him as a Godson like Sirius did.

            Even if Snape hadn't checked all the potions, Harry was confident in his potions skills.  He drank it down without a problem.

            It was a strange feeling.  Something was reading him.  It was seeing even things he didn't know were there, and once it read those things, it still saw no reason to enlighten him of what they were.  It searched and searched, but didn't seem to find what it was looking for.

            Harry was getting worried.  The light had appeared as soon as he had swallowed, but nothing was happening yet.  Then an image started for form.  It was a large snake.  Its scales were olive green, with a black zigzag pattern down its back.  On its head, the pattern started with a lightning bolt.  When he opened his mouth, a set of fangs appeared and somehow he could feel that they were poisonous.  Harry blinked, and so did the green eyes of the snake.  That wasn't what he expected.  

            Then it image started to change again.  It grew larger.  The green became gold, the black red, the scales fur.  It was a large golden lion, with a scarlet mane.  The tip of its tail was also scarlet, and so was the lightning bolt on its forehead.  Harry blinked again, which also blinked the green eyes of the lion.  This hadn't happened to anybody else.  

            Then, it started to change again.  This time the animal didn't touch the ground.  It was a swan-sized bird.  The feathers were scarlet.  The tail had several very long golden feathers that looked like they would almost get in the way when flying.  The talons and beak were the same gold color as the tail, and very sharp.  On its scarlet-feathered forehead there was a golden lightning bolt.  The only creature Harry had ever seen like it was Fawlks.  He was a phoenix.

            But the image didn't stay still.  It went back to the snake, then the lion, then again to the phoenix, the lion, the phoenix, the lion, the phoenix, the snake, the phoenix, the lion.  After what seemed like forever, the image reluctantly settled on the phoenix, but would flash suddenly to the lion, and every once in a while, the snake.

            The class didn't speak as the image started to disappear.  It was Heather who broke the silence.  "Well, Harry.  I guess you have multiple personalities.  I've never heard of a person with more then one before.  Congrats, I guess.  One was a magical animal too.  The phoenix is one of the most magical creatures alive.  It must take a lot of power to do that."

            Harry shook of the uneasy feeling the potion left him.  Like something had looked through him and seen everything, and didn't like what it saw.  "It doesn't feel like multiple personalities, Heather, but rather like pieces of me are different, and it couldn't decide which piece was the real me."

            Heather's eyebrows lowered in thought.  Then an interesting look crossed her face.  She covered it quickly with a grin while she hopped off of Snape's desk.  "Well kids, it's been fun.  I have to go.  Tata Severus, Paul sends his regards."

            Snape followed her to the door, and then slammed it behind her before turning back to the class.  "Go clean up."

            Harry was still trying to shake off the weird feeling the potion gave him when Ron came up as hit him on the back.  "Harry, when are they going to give you a break?  Nothing ever goes right for you."

            "The fates are against me, Ron.  They really are."

            When they returned to the common room for the evening, Hermione and Ron told Ginny all about what had happened.  When they told what Harry had turned into, Ginny grinned.  "I told you, Harry.  I was right on everything that I said."

            Harry thought back for a moment to what she had told him, and then shuddered.  "It kind of scares me that you know me so well, Rose." 

            "What are you guys talking about?"

            "The other day, we tried to figure out what we would be.  Ginny described what she thought I would turn into, but it didn't make any sense because the characteristics didn't fit any one thing."

            "Like I said he would be gold, red, and green.  The lion is gold, the phoenix red, the snake green.  I said he would be something brave, the lion, but cunning and sly, the snake."

            "You said I would be something large, which could be the lion or the phoenix, but could sneak around, and that could be the snake or the phoenix.  You said I would be something that flies, the phoenix, but grounded, the snake."

            "I said you would be smart, which could be all three, but also dense and easily blinded, and that could also be all three.  I said you would be loyal, and that could be the lion or the phoenix, but proud, and that would be the phoenix."

            "Well, next year, we'll see if you're gold, shy, powerful, smart, small, good-natured, and if you can fly."

            Sally moved over and hissed something in Ginny's ear.  Ginny's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with her hands.  She snorted into her hands, and then burst into laughter.  "Sally!  You are so _bad.  That was mean!  Sal!"_

            "What is it?  What did she say?"  But Ginny didn't answer; she shook her head and kept on laughing.  "Oh, come on Sal, what did you say about me?"

            "I wasss jussst sssaying that-" Ginny clamped Sally's mouth shut.

            "No, no, no."

            "Ginny, come on, now I really want to know."  Sally pulled away and dodged Ginny's attempts to grab her again.

            "I wasss sssaying that all three of your animalsss have a very long tail, and what that mussst mean about you."

            Ginny's laughter came back in full force.  The color drained out of Harry's face, and then was quickly replaced with bright red.  "Sally!  That's so horrible! I- I can't-" but Harry was over took by laughter too.

            Hermione was relaxing against Ron on the couch, and looked up at him.  "Did you notice that nobody thought to inform us?"

            "Something tells me, Books, that we don't want to know."

            Harry crawled very quietly out of his bed into the dark dorm room.  He opened his trunk, and pulled out the map and the cloak.  Trying not to wake anybody, he slipped out and walked down to the common room.

            Just as he was about to pull the cloak on, a voice spoke behind him.  "What are you doing here, Harry?"  It didn't scare him.  It didn't even startle him.  He didn't think her voice would ever be able to scare him.

            "I could ask the same about you, Rose."

            He turned to look at her.  She was looking at the floor.  "I knew that you hadn't started looking for the statue yet, so I was going to do it.  Please don't be mad at me."

            "Mad at you?  Once again, here you are saving my arse.  What would I do without you?"

            She looked up at him and grinned.  "You would be dead.  Do you have the map with you?"

            "Here," Harry said, sitting down on the couch.  He opened it and activated it.  Ginny sat down beside him to read it.  "Were you going to go out there without the cloak or the map?"

            "Well, I couldn't do anything else.  I couldn't ask you for them because then you would know and be mad at me."

            "Rose," Harry said seriously "look at me."  She looked up at him, rather startled by his grim expression.  "I will never be mad at you.  I might get upset if you do something I don't like, or be angry when something happens.  But I will never be mad at _you.  Understand?"  Ginny nodded wide-eyed.  "Good.  Now, what are we going to do here?"_

            "I've been talking to Heather about the map.  She helped them make it.  It's a mind map, it reads the minds of every person on the school grounds."

            "I had noticed that."

            Ginny kept going.  "That's how it know when the passwords change.  Because somebody in the school knows.  Or did know.  See, it has a memory.  If nobody knows about it now, but somebody used to, then it still knows.  It also self updates, when new things are built or discovered."

            "Then how did my dad keep that room off the map if it reads minds, not the rooms."

            "Heather said it's really complicated.  You have to convince your mind to block it.  You can always block a mind reader if you are stronger then it, and want to block it.  The map is not very strong.  But you have to block that one thing, and never let it go.  But I don't get why he did it if only he and Lily could get in."

            "Maybe that's not true.  Or maybe he didn't want people to even know where they were, not just be unable to get to them."

            "Could be.  Alright, show me all the lion statues."  The map started to change.  Bright red ink sprouted up on various places.

            "That's a lot of lions," Harry said looking at them all.

            "It's one of the school symbols.  Let's get started."

            As long as they watched the map, there was no need for them to wear the cloak, but they brought it with them just in case.  The first statue was right down the hall.

            The came up to it.  It was a sleeping lion at the corridor where the stairs to the Gryffindor tower started.  It was probably supposed to symbolized the house's sleeping quarters.  Harry wondered why he had never noticed it before.

            "Now what?" he asked Ginny.

            "We are going to have to use process of elimination.  It's supposed to test your blood.  Let's think what that could mean."

            "Wouldn't that require blood, and something to test it?  Then, wouldn't it make sense if there was something for me to cut myself with?"

            "That's a good idea.  It also would be a statue that doesn't move if it's guarding an entrance."  Ginny looked to the map.  "Only show the lions that don't move."

            More then half of the red dots disappeared, including the one they were standing at, but there was still a considerable amount.  "This is going to take a while."

            Ginny and Harry had completely crossed off six of the statues before the decided to go back to bed.  The started walking toward the common room again, and saw no reason to be silent as there was nobody around.

            "I have a new class with Sirius coming up.  I'll ask him if he can give us any hints."

            "That should help.  I'll talk to Heather too."

            "Hey, how's your reading coming?"

            "The books I need are missing."

            "Missing?"

            "Yes, and your mother was the last one to have them out.  I think she left them in the room.  I think the statue leads to this room."

            "That's what I think too.  I had no idea about the books though."

            "Well, that's why I decided to stop looking for what couldn't be found, and start looking for what could be.  It's kind of funny that we started on the same night."

            Harry stopped walking, and Ginny turned to look at him.  "What is it?"

            He was looking at the floor.  "I'm really sorry.  I keep saying I wish you didn't have to be involved in this, and then I go and let you do everything.  It's just something about this room.  I have a feeling, that it's going to change everything, and I don't know if it's going to be a good change or a bad change.  It's going to answer all my questions, and now I don't know if I want the answers.  I guess, I was just scared.  I'm a coward."

            Ginny walked over too him and smiled.  "Harry, you're not a coward.  Being afraid does not make you a coward, it makes you afraid.  It's not doing anything about it that makes you a coward.  And here you are, doing something about it."

            "Only because of you."

            She shook her head.  "You were going to do this before you even knew I was coming.  I had nothing to do with it.  It was all you.  You're not a coward.  Now, I am.  There's something I've been afraid of as long as I can remember, and I still haven't done anything about it."

            They started walking again.  "What?" Harry asked.

            Ginny looked up at him, a small smile on her face.  "Maybe I'll tell you someday.  Ask me again next year."

            Harry didn't say anything else, mostly because he was trying to figure out what was wrong with him.  He had another feeling.  But this one didn't scare him like the other one did.  This one was strangely intoxicating.  It was on the very edge of his mind, but he didn't know what it was.

_(A/N: _

_Draco: Lily, you are so obvious sometimes._

_Me: *Smiles sweetly* I know.  Now, wasn't there something that you wanted to say?_

_Draco: Oh, right.  *Clears throat.*  Please stop giving Lily reviews telling her that you hate the idea of Ginny and I being together.  Trust me, we hate the idea too.  My heart is reserved for another, whom you have yet to meet.  We thank you for your concern-_

_Me: BUT YOU ARE ALL GETTING RATHER ANNOYING!  I keep telling you that it won't happen, and trust me, I know__.  Please stop pestering me about it.  This is a H/G!  I'm giving some of the plot away right here: Ginny and Draco NEVER get together romantically.  There, you know. _

_Draco: *Glares at Lily.*  As I was saying, we thank you for your concern, but would appreciate it if you stopped telling us about it.  Thank you very much for reading, and taking such an interest in Lily's story that you are worried about the characters.  And thank you for reading._

_Me: Yeah, thanks for reading!  It's summer!  If there is a lull between when chapters come out, it probably means I'm on holiday w/o a computer.  Or Fanfiction.net is being an arse.  Luv you all!)_


	33. Blasting and Shielding

Chapter 33 

Blasting and Shielding

When Harry's new classes started, he suddenly found himself with more work then he ever had remembered having.  Most of the new classes were just added on to their normal day, which cut out the time they would normally have between the end of classes and dinner.  The first class he experienced was the parenting class with Heather.  

Before he even walked in, Harry knew this would be, well, an episode.  He had the class with both Hermione and Ron.  They all sat in the seats that they would normally in Defense.  The class was made up of only forth years, but there were students from all four of the houses present.

When Heather walked in, it was with Sirius in his dog form trotting behind her.  "Good morning class.  You all know my dog Sparky.  Oh my, look at this class.  Well, this can't be a defense class, so this must be my new one.  Ah," Heather bit her lip.  "Which class are you?"

"Parenting, Heather," Harry said with a smirk.

"Oh, right!  It would be, as Professor McGonagall isn't here hounding me.  That will be an interesting class."  Heather fell down in her chair, scratching Sparky behind his ears.  "Well then, parenting is the first thing we learn here.  And everything that goes along with it.  How many of you plan on having children?"

A few hands shot right in the air.  Others went up more slowly.  Harry paused.  It was another one of those things that he should have given more thought.  Did he want children?  He loved kids, but what kind of father would he make?  Would he become his uncle?  He couldn't subject a child to that.  But then, Randy was an angle.  If that was what raising a kid was like, then he would want a hundred of them.

Heather was the first to see Harry's hesitation.  "Harry Potter, you put that hand up in the air.  I want grand godchildren.  Besides, you're to good with children to pass up having one or seven."

Harry couldn't help but smile.  "Seven?  Are you trying to kill me?"

"Kill you?  Harry dear, it is your wife it will kill.  But she's going to be pretty tough, so I think she can handle it.  This is of coarse after you've won the world cup twice, replaced Dumbledore when he decided to retire, and become the minister of magic."

The dog by Heather's chair, to informed eyes, was laughing.  Heather looked down at him.  "Do you think something is wrong with my planning my god son's future, Sparky?"

The dog nodded.  The class had seen stranger things, so nobody was too surprised.  "Do you want to sleep outside tonight?"

Harry snorted, and Hermione and Ron started to giggle behind their hands.  Only they could know what that actually meant.  Sparky, or Sirius, whimpered.  "I didn't think so." 

She turned her attention to the class.  "The place to start would probably be where it starts.  I really do hope that you all know where babies come from.  I don't want to have to give the birds and the bees talk.  It was weird enough getting it from my mother, when I was twelve.  It was a little late.  Anyway, as we go through this, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.  Trust me, none of your questions are going to surprise me.  When I was twelve, four of my best friends were sixteen-year-old guys.  I have heard it all."

It was probably the most Harry had ever learned in one of Heather's classes.  When he left, he knew more about the human reproduction system then he ever wanted to know.  Ron's ears looked like they would never lose their red color.  Today, he walked beside Harry instead of Hermione, who seemed to find this all rather funny.  

When Ginny met up with them at dinner, she noticed something was up right away.  She turned to Hermione.  "What's up with the boys?"

Hermione grinned.  "They just have a new found respect for what women go through to bring them into this world."

Ginny grinned.  "I'm sure Heather made that a lovely experience.  She's rather blunt, no easing into the embarrassing."

The next day, they had Dueling instead of their break, and after that, they had Advanced Defense.  Dueling, they had down in a very large room in the basement.  Heather was here too, but it appeared Professor McGonagall was going to lead most of this.  

"There is a room in this school that was made specifically for the purpose of having a dueling class."

Draco suddenly was snapped to attention.  He panicked.  That was his room.  Had he left anything in there?  Something of his father's?  That could destroy all his plans.

"However," Professor McGonagall continued, "Professor Dumbledore is most insistent that we do not use this room, for reasons beyond my knowledge."

Draco wanted to sag onto the floor, his knees suddenly felt very week.  But then his heart sped again.  Why would the old man not want them to use that room?  It was certainly big enough, even if they had almost the whole year in here.  

_'Could he know?  Would he allow it if he did?  How much does he know?  Or does he only think he knows?  Maybe he only knows I use it to get away from the dorm, and not what else I use it for.  Draco, stop picking it apart.  Maybe he thinks there are mice in there.  You have no idea what he thinks, just be grateful they won't go in the room.'_

Finally comforting himself, Draco turned his attention back to what McGonagall was saying.

"In order to pick out your partners, we want to match you with somebody who has about the same amount of power at this time.  To test this, you are going to be constructing the shield spells you have learned in Defense.  Some of you older students may have learned it last year with Professor Lupin."

Draco tuned it out for a while again.  She was going over the spell, and he knew it.  Despite being so very, Gryffindor, Heather was a good teacher.

Before they knew it, all the students where in a line with their wands, starting the shielding spell.  This spell required a special stance, but once up, would protect you from the amount of power you were putting into the spell.  Id your opponent was stronger, you were protected from your amount of power, but the amount they had more then you still reached you.  It would cut a very powerful curse into something that you could live through.  It did nothing against physical attacks, only magic.

The downside was that you could not move, or the spell would break.  To include somebody else in the spell would make it require more power, and therefore, make it less effective.  It also was useless against the killing spells.

This was one spell that Harry did not like.  He could do it, easily, but it seemed, wrong somehow.

"Now, put everything you have into this.  We can't judge your power unless you use it.  You will benefit from an opponent that is a challenge."

Harry set the spell, set the stance, and activated it.  He could feel it start, all his power going through the line toward this spell.  But this wasn't right either.  There was more, it was there.  He reached, pushed.  Something was blocking him, only letting out a drip instead of the waterfall.

And then it came.  Not all of it, but he pushed, and pulled, and the spell's power multiplied.  A wave of fatigue washed over him.  If he moved, then the spell would break, before they tested it.  He kept still.  The spell was easy to hold, it was his body that wanted to sag.  He didn't move.  How much longer? 

His eyes flickered around to see if Heather or McGonagall were near.  Only then did he notice his shield.  It looked, different, then all the others around the room.  More solid, stable.  He couldn't hold it anymore.  Forget embarrassing himself.  

Harry sagged to the floor, expecting to feel the spell fade out.  But nothing faded.  The line that connected him to the spell didn't break, or fade.  He tried to stand up again, but stumbled, and fell against something solid.

He placed his hands against it.  It was like glass, but even more transparent.  The shield was physical.  He grinned, though it seemed a lot harder to do then normal.  This felt right, not too controlled like the other way did.

He sat down again, and followed the line of power to the spell that was the shield.  He felt every inch of it.  Carefully, he pushed a little.  The part in front of him expanded.  

"Mr. Potter, what have you done?  This is not the spell I described."

Harry looked up at her.  "Yes, Professor, it is.  I'm not sure what I did to it."  He pushed again, expanding the whole shield, then pulled, bringing it into him.

"Professor Deleve, come here!"

Heather walked over, and looked at Harry.  She reached out, and touched the solid shield.  "Well bloody hell, Harry, it's a physical shield too.  What in Merlin's name did you do?"

"I'm not sure."

"Test it, Professor Deleve," McGonagall instructed.

"Alright, Minnie, give me a second."  The students who had already finished their testing crowded around to see.  They wanted to know how Harry was sitting down, instead of the odd balance stance they had done.

Heather laid a hand against the shield.  Harry could feel it through the magic.  Then, he could feel the magic that she did.  The spell almost repelled it; almost saw it as an attack.  But all it was doing was looking, not attacking.  Harry felt it look at the surface, then dig a little to see what was happening.  

Heather screamed.  The magic that was looking cut of abruptly.  Professor McGonagall had to keep Heather from falling.  Any students still holding their spells broke it to come see what was going on.

Harry's first instinct was to go to Heather, and before he knew what he was really doing, he created a hole in the shield and ran out of it to her.

"Harry," she said through a deep breath.  "How can you stand it?"  She steadied herself, but she was shaking.

"What?  Heather was is it?  What did I do?"  He couldn't live with the thought that he had hurt her.  

"You, you didn't do anything, its just there was so much power.  So much, that it burned to look at.  How are you doing that without burning yourself out from the inside?  I haven't seen a flow that huge, that complete, since, since I tried, to make a very large mistake."

_'Since she tried to kill herself.'  But Heather wasn't done yet.  "But it wasn't complete.  Not all of it was there.  It should have been even bigger."_

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall started.  "Do you think you can do it again, so that I can look.  I will be prepared for it, so it shouldn't effect me as much."

"I don't have to do it again, Professor, it's still there."

"But, you are here."

Harry walked over to his shield, and leaned against it.  "It's still there, I'm just not inside it."

McGonagall walked up, having to test it herself to believe it.  "Can you get back in?"  McGonagall's hand suddenly fell though the shield.  She jumped back in surprise, but Harry was still leaning against his part of the shield.  She reached out, and traced the hole in the shield with her hand.

"How can you do that?"

Harry was actually leaning against the shield because he didn't trust himself to stand.  He felt like he could sleep for a week.  "I follow the line, and the reach the shield, and mold it how I want."

"You follow the line?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, the line.  Everything we do has a magical line that connects it to us.  Where is pulls the magic from us. You taught us that."

"Yes, but that is only a theory, a way to explain what's happening.  Some have been able to sense these lines, even create some of them without using a wand to start it, but nobody had ever, followed one.  Nobody has ever been able to."

"Professor, my wand doesn't start it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the line doesn't travel though my wand.  I can feel it, directly from me to the shield."

McGonagall placed her hand on the shield, just like Heather had done.  Then Harry felt it again, that searching magic, only looking.  It examined the surface with a fine-toothed comb.  Then dug to see inside.  McGonagall herself sank to her knees, but the magic didn't leave.  It looked, and poked gently, at this energy.  It sensed that there was more, a huge chunk missing.  It reached for that chunk, and hit something.  That something flung out.  It shoved the looking magic away, pulled the energy back, and clamped shut, stopped letting anything though.

The shield disappeared, and Harry fell down.  McGonagall was bent over holding her head.  And this is how they looked when Professor Dumbledore arrived with Sally.

When Harry came to, all the students had left the room, and Dumbledore was sitting beside him.

"Professor, what happened?"

Dumbledore smiled at him.  "While Professor McGonagall was searching your energy, she hit something that didn't like her.  You unconsciously shoved her away."

"Is she okay?  Professor?"  Harry tried to sit up so he could see McGonagall, but found that he couldn't do it. 

"She's fine.  Now, Miss. Sally decided that she wanted me to come down here, and who am I to refuse a very pretty lady?  So I followed her, and this is what I find.  I'm sure you are exhausted, so why don't you go back to your dorm, and skip your next class.  That was some spell you cast."

"But how, how did I do it?  What did I do?"

"You completed the spell.  A spell that has not been completed for hundreds, maybe thousands of years.  When our powers started to weaken, thousands of years ago, we had to adapt the spell to fit the amount of power we could put into it.  You Mr. Potter, had enough power to complete it in its entirety.  Now, why don't you go take a little nap, huh?  I'm sure Heather will not be too upset that you missed her class."

When Harry was gone, Dumbledore walked over to where Heather was tending McGonagall.  "Are you okay, Minnie?"

"I'm fine.  What did I hit?"

"His block," Heather said.  "I should have figured it out.  We thought he might have a block, hiding some of his power.  We think he may be learning to reach through it.  Today, he pulled through it.  As much as he could, like you told them to do.  The block still held back as much as it could.  When you touched the block, you gave it a magical boost to throw you out, pull back the power it was blocking, and close.  Therefore, you end with a slight magical shock of having your power controlled, Harry passes out at the shock of losing that amount of power so fast, and then is exhausted from reaching through the block."

"Well, it seems you have it all laid out for us."

"But what are we going to do?  If he keeps reaching through the block, he might break it, and burn himself out from the power."

"We'll have to tell him not to do it anymore," Dumbledore said.

That was when Sally made her presence known.  She hissed at Heather, and was clearly not happy.

"What's wrong with her?" McGonagall asked.

Dumbledore stroked his beard, and studied Sally who glared back at him.  "I believe," he said after a moment, "that Miss. Sally thought that Heather was on Harry's side, and is rather upset to find out that she is plotting with us."

"Plotting, how can she know what we're doing?"  McGonagall scoffed.

"Sal knows English as well as you and I.  Sally, I am on Harry's side.  I know you know some things about him that you've kept from him for his own good, isn't that right?"  Sally nodded reluctantly.  "Well, that's all we're doing.  We are trying to help him.  You have to keep this to yourself.  Don't tell Rose, either."

Sally hissed and rolled her eyes, but then nodded, and slid away.

After History and Herboligy the next day, the Dream Team had to split even farther.  Ron had Divination, Hermione had Arithmacy, and Harry had his Advanced Charms class.

He walked to the small classroom.  The four other students, including Malfoy, were already present.  Nobody was seated, they stood against the wall.  Harry did the same, and before too long, Dumbledore walked in, and behind him came Heather, Flitwick, and Snape.  

Dumbledore smiled at all of them, and leaned against the wall.  "Due to schedule problems, sometimes all of us will be in here, sometimes some of us will be missing.  This class is not really a class; it's a training coarse.  All of you in here have the ability to do great things.  That is why you are here.  I can only hope that you will use that ability to a good cause."

And that was it.  He then launched right into which spell they would be using first.  It was a defensive spell.  When your enemy attempted to power blast you, this held it back if you were strong enough, and if you were much stronger, shoved it back at your enemy.

"Mr. Malfoy, I would like you to pair with Mr. Unijill.  Miss. Guild, please pair with Mr. Jeffen.  Mr. Potter, please come here."

As the others paired themselves up, Harry walked up to where all the teachers were.  "After that amazing work yesterday, Mr. Potter, we are going to test you.  The four of us are going to combine our power, and we would like to see how well you hold up against it."

Harry swallowed.  Snape, Flitwick, Heather, and Dumbledore, all against him?  He would hardly last a second.  But on the other side of the room, Malfoy was ignoring the Ravenclaw seventh year that was his partner.  Instead he had his eyes on Harry.

"Mr. Potter, are you ready?"

Harry nodded, spacing his feet in the stance that Dumbledore had showed them.  He held his wand with a tip in each hand, the block. 

Harry watched as Flitwick, Snape, and Heather prepared a power blast.  They threw it at Dumbledore.  No, not at him, through him.  Then Dumbledore prepared one, and Harry braced himself.

Just as the power, invisible to the eye, came at Harry, he sent his against it.  It stopped, but was slowly moving still toward him.  Something wasn't right, there wasn't enough there.  He had felt it yesterday, and now it wasn't there again.  So he reached, and pulled, then pushed.  Something stretched, unwillingly but easier this time, and suddenly the blast was moving the other way.  This felt familiar.  Like at some point, he had already performed this spell, but he had only learned it moments ago.

It was beyond Harry now.  The power blast was rushing toward his Professors, and if it hit them it could land them in the hospital for a week, and he couldn't stop it.  He couldn't pull it back.  His eyes went wide as he tried to stop it, pull it away, but the power blast was still moving.

There was a movement beside Harry, and another energy combined with his, and it pulled.  This encouragement made his energy finally change its mind, and the blast moved away from the Professors.  He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he stopped the blast, and put it out.  He shoved the power down into the ground, where it scattered away harmlessly.

He turned to look at his help, and there stood Draco Malfoy, his composed look gone for the moment.  Sweat covered his face, and there was a spot of blood on his lip where he had bit it.

Malfoy looked over at Harry.  "That's a way to get yourself expelled Potter, blow up the headmaster and three other Professors."

This jerked Harry's attention from Malfoy to the Professors.  "I, I couldn't stop it.  Once it was moving, it wouldn't stop."  Flitwick was collapsed against the wall.  Heather was leaning on Snape, who was breathing hard.  Dumbledore's lips were pressed together, but he looked at Harry.

"It is not your fault Harry, we underestimated you.  But tell me, when you turned it around, and sent it away from you.  What did you do?  How did you change it?"

"It, wasn't the same.  As yesterday.  There wasn't as much energy as I had yesterday.  So I, I don't know how to describe it.  I knew it was in me, I just wasn't allowed to have it, but I took it anyway.  It used to hurt, but now, it doesn't feel right if I don't.  It feels like something is missing.  But even when I do that, there's still something missing.  A lot missing.  I won't give it to myself."

Dumbledore nodded.  "You are reaching.  You say that it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Yes Professor."

"Are you tired?"

Harry thought about that for a moment.  "No, I'm not.  Not this time.  I was every other time that I did it."

Dumbledore nodded again.  "You're body has become adapted to the amount of power that you pull.  But Harry, if you pull anymore, it could burn you out.  Only do that in emergencies.  Understand?"

Harry nodded.  Malfoy beside him laughed.  "Potter's got a block!  Who'd have thought?  I bet a lot of people would love to know that."

"What are you talking about Malfoy?"

"Mr. Malfoy," said Snape on the other side of the room.  "That will be enough."  Malfoy shrugged, his calm collected look now restored.  

"That was a very nice save, Mr. Malfoy.  We all thank you."  Malfoy looked at his feet.  He couldn't say anything smart to the headmaster.  "You combined power with Harry very well.  You two would work well together, if you ever put aside your differences."

"Working together is one thing, Professor," Malfoy said with as much respect as he could muster.  "It's finding a common goal that's the problem."

Dumbledore's eyebrows lowered as he stared at Malfoy.  But Draco met him eye for eye, refusing to look away.  "Twenty points to Slytherin."  

Malfoy smirked.  "Thank you Professor." 

Harry's next class was with Sirius, which didn't really have a name, but in his mind, he called it Death Class.  Heather dropped him off at her room.  There was a class gathering here, third years, but Harry walked back to the office.

Behind him, the door closed and locked.  Harry turned to see Sirius.  It was good to see him as Sirius, not Paul or Sparky.  "Hey Little Man.  They have Heather teaching so many classes, that she has classes at the same time she's supposed to be teaching you.  Actually, she isn't teaching you, that's just what everybody thinks."

"I know."  Harry sat down.  He didn't want to do this.

"I'm sure you did.  I'm going to be teaching you the stuff that the school isn't allowed to, Harry.  As I'm not really part of the school, nobody gets hurt."

"The killing spells?"

Sirius paused.  "What do you know about them Harry?"

"Not much.  There's more then one.  They are different, and Dark Magic, which means they hurt to use.  They are one some of the most powerful spells."

"That is all it's going to say in your text book.  There are more then one.  There is the regular killing spell.  This one will kill anything, anybody, and it is the one that requires the most magical power.  Not very many are powerful enough to use it.  The other kind is a personalized killing spell.  This one will only kill one person, and is harmless to everybody else.  It takes less power, but is less effective.  For if someone where to jump in front of this spell it would not kill anybody."

"Which one was used on me?"

"We don't really know.  I could have been either.  Nobody's sure what really happened that night."  Harry nodded.  It didn't really matter all that much.

"Now, it's a spell, not a charm.  Which means it requires more then just the words.  Now Harry, you're smart.  What do you think it requires?"

Harry thought for a moment.  "I, I guess you would really have to want to kill them.  If you don't, then you're heart isn't in it, and it wouldn't work right."

"Correct.  In a spell this powerful, the magic follows what you want, follows you.  If you don't really want to do something, the magic isn't going to do it.  In the personalized killing spell, you also need to be thinking of the person.  There's also the way you have to hold the wand, and the word."

"What's the word, Sirius?"

"_Axynovit."_

"_Axynovit," Harry tested the word, and it left a horrible taste in his mouth.  He shuddered.  "Sirius, I don't like this."_

Sirius placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.  "That's all we're learning on that subject for now.  We're going to go look at some of the spells Voldemort's followers use."

Harry's Advanced Transfiguration and Advanced Charms classes proved to be no more then exactly what the title said.  The same class that he normally took, only with a lot more work and a lot more homework.  

As time passed, five more children disappeared.  Three from the school, first or second years.  The entire student body was tense, even worse then the year of the Basilisk

Harry had so much work to do that his days were beginning to become a blur.  Wake, work to you fall over, and then sleep.  He hadn't arranged to go hunting for the lion statue with Ginny again since the first night.  But this time, it wasn't that he didn't want to, it was that he had no time.

In Sirius' class he was learning some of the most common Dark Magic spells.  Not only learning what they were, but also learning how to do them.  When he asked Sirius if this was right, he replied; "They are called Dark because it causes the user pain.  They are not evil unless they are used so.  If one man shoots another out of hate, he is evil.  If one man shoots another to protect his wife and children, is he still evil?  It's the same reasoning."

"Sirius, using these spells makes me want to hurl.  What are the killing spells going to do to me?  I know you're going to teach them to me, even if you are avoiding it."

Sirius smiled at him slightly, and then frowned again.  "The killing spells are nasty Harry.  The pain that accompanies them is not always pain, but rather awareness.  You feel the victim die.  Feel the life, and magic, drain out of them."

Harry stared at his Godfather for a minute, then shuddered.  "When?"

"During Easter."

"That's only a few weeks away."


	34. Murtlap Murder

Chapter 34 Murtlap Murder 

            The halls were quiet.  Much more quiet then they would ever be, should the entire student body be present.  But due to the problems with the missing students, this Easter, almost all of the student body was gone.  

            The Weasleys remained, Hermione remained, and Harry wouldn't have left if they had dragged him away.  There were a couple of Slytherins still in the school, as nobody from that house had gone missing.  

            In these quiet halls Ginny walked beside Harry.  "Remind me again why you are here?"

            She sighed.  "I'm going to talk to Heather, discretely mind you, about the missing room.  Otherwise I would have to make you bleed on three hundred statues.  Why do you have a problem with me being here?"

            "It's just, what I'm doing today, is not something I'm very proud of.  The less people who see it the better."

            "I'm not going to see you, you'll be in the other room.  The year is going to end soon, and I want to figure this out before it's over."

            Harry ran a hand through his hair.  "I'm sorry I've been so busy.  Even dropping the parenting class hasn't helped much with my work.  Or dropping the dueling competition."

            "It's alright, that's why I'm here," she said opening the door.

            Harry threw her an odd glance that she didn't see.  Something about that statement was, well it just was.  He didn't have time to figure out exactly what it was because Sirius claimed his attention immediately.

            He pulled Harry into the back room again.  Sirius did not look his best.  There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was rather scruffy.  It was almost the way he had looked the first night that Harry had met him.

            "Are you alright Sirius?"

            The older man nodded, a finger pressed against his temple.  "I just hate to do this to you."

            Harry made his lips turn up in what he hoped looked like a smile.  "I'll be fine, really.  This can't be all that worse then some of the other things I've been learning."

            Sirius gave Harry a look, then turned to a box in the corner.  Out of it he pulled what looked at first like a rat.  But it wasn't.  There was a large thing growing out of its back that looked something like a sea anemone.

            "A Murtlap.  I pulled this one out of a group that was to be harvested.  So he would have died anyway, if that helps you at all."

            It didn't.  It didn't help at all.  Harry stared at the little creature that Sirius set inside a clear plastic cage.  He had to kill it.  In cold blood, because of Voldemort.  Anger boiled.  That was good.  He fed the fire with all he had.  

            But that wasn't enough.  That anger, he was feeding, everything he had stored in him, still did not make him want to kill this little rat like animal.

            "Left arm behind your back, Harry."

            Harry snapped out of his little daze and obeyed, swinging his left arm behind his waist.  "Hold the wand in your fist.  Hard.  That's right.  Now the rest is up to you."

            Harry opened his mouth to say the word, but then realized he had forgotten the most important part of the spell.  The desire to kill.  He didn't have it.  He lowered his wand.

            "Sirius, I-"

            "No, I know.  How much do you know about a Murtlap?"

            Harry shrugged.  He remembered seeing the name in his book, but he had never read the article.  

            "Well, they do a funny little trick.  There is a poison in their teeth.  It works in a strange way.  If they bite you, it will not kill you instantly.  It takes a full eight minutes to work.  But, if the Murtlap is killed before those eight minutes are up, the poison loses its magical quality and is harmless.  However, those eight minutes, though you are not dead, are extremely painful, and leave you somewhat paralyzed."

            Harry looked in surprise at Sirius.  "Why did you bring something that dangerous in here?"

            "To help you," Sirius said, reaching over and putting his hand right in front of the Murtlap's mouth.  Harry gasped as it bit into Sirius' hand, and he jumped back from the pain.  

            "You can do it," Sirius said as he fell to his knees and then sideways onto the floor.

            "Sirius!"  Harry fell down beside him, but Sirius didn't answer.  His breathing was slowing, and a look of extreme pain came across his face.  There was no mistaking that pain.  It looked heart wrenching. 

            Ginny sat at Heather's desk.  "You already gave him the book Rose, why are you still so interested?"

            "I don't know.  Because there is still so much he doesn't know, and he isn't going to ask anybody about it."

            "Well, anything in particular?"

            Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment.  "What was James and Lily's relationship like?"

            "Well, in the beginning, they were hardly friends.  Not because they didn't like each other, because they both tended to stay to themselves.  She was only fifteen when they got together.  They were never apart.  They seemed to be linked.  One would always know where the other was, or what the other was thinking.  They would disappear every other night."

            "When she was fifteen?" asked Ginny, shocked.

            Heather giggled.  "They slept together, but as James would so cleanly put it, they _slept."_

            "Where would they go if they weren't in the dorms?"  Ginny silently cheered.  This conversation went exactly how she wanted it to.

            "James' room.  That room he left off the map."

            "Did you ever find out where the room was?"

            "No, we never did."  Ginny's heart sunk.  "Not that we didn't try.  Wherever it was, the entrance was outside, because Lily would usually fly there.  She said it was faster that way.  James very rarely flew, but he used to be much faster then Lily.  Of coarse, he had all the secret passage ways of the school memorized, so that was probably how he got around."

            Ginny's heart flipped over.  Outside.  That limited it to only a few possibilities.  It wouldn't take much time to find it now.  A week, maybe.  How many statues were outside?  Nine, ten, she was almost sure it was ten.

Harry barely kept himself from panicking.  _'Would I be able to get Dumbledore in time? Would Heather know what to do?  No, she'll panic.  Harry, you know what to do.  Just kill it.'_

            The Murtlap hissed threateningly at him.  Harry slid his left arm behind his back.  His right hand clenched the wand tightly.  He looked at the Murtlap, and filled his head with everything he loved in Sirius, everything he would lose if he didn't do this right now.

            "_Ax-" he stopped and swallowed.  He pointed the wand and closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see it.  "__Axy-" his voice croaked.  _

            How long had Sirius been lying there?  How much time did he have left?  He had lost track.  It could have already been ten minutes.  

            He sucked in a deep breath.  "_Axynovit!"  He felt it.  Time slowed down.  He felt power build up inside him, and explode through his wand.  That was the easy part.  He felt the Murtlap's fear as the light shot at it.  He felt the way it was pushed back a few inches on impact.  He felt its life snap.  He felt as its life, the life it would have had if he hadn't broken it, escape in the air.  Broken.  Unknown.  That escaped life, held possibility.  More possibility then he had ever known possible, but it was dead possibility.  All of it was lost.  But the part that made him sick, was the bright feeling of absolute control that when along with it all._

            When time started to run normally again, Harry opened his eyes.  The Murtlap lay dead in the cage.  Sirius was standing up.  Harry stared at he Murtlap.

            "Harry, I'm sorry I had to do that.  It was a lie.  The whole thing."

            This could have possibly been the only sentence that would have broken Harry of his horrified trance.  Somebody could have told him that the sky was raining snakes and they were all going to die by drowning on them and he would not have cared by this point.  But this sentence made him look up.

            "What do you mean it was a lie?"

            "Murtlaps are not poisonous, I was not dying."  Sirius stared at the floor, pain in the very way he held his body.

            "But, you, you were in so much pain."

            Sirius looked up.  "I was.  Here."  He put his hand to his chest.  "That is the single most painful thing I have ever done.  If you are angry at me, I understand, but please know that I love you and I was only trying to help."

            Harry's attention was recaptured by the dead Murtlap on the table.  "I'm not angry at you, Sirius.  You did what you had to.  And it worked.  I could do that again."  He stopped dead.  Sirius stared.

            Harry wasn't aware when he started running, or when he had made up his mind to do so.  It seemed by the time the idea had come across his mind he was already twenty feet down the hall away from Heather's class room.  Then he realized that he was being followed.

            "Harry!  Harry stop!"

            There was a fork in the hall.  He would have to turn.  Should he go left or right.  His mind wasn't working correctly.  He didn't know.  He reached the fork and went straight.  Instincts kept him from running into the wall.  He threw up his hands to stop.  Then sunk to the floor.  _'Why is the ground shaking like that? Why is it getting blurry?'_

            Then his brain seemed to catch up to what he was doing.  He was sitting on the floor, shaking uncontrollably.  Tears were building up in his eyes. 

            Arms encircled him and helped to slow his violent shaking.  "Harry, hush.  It's find, I'm here."  The voice was a comfort.  It didn't matter who or what, just the voice.  As long as it didn't stop, then everything would be fine.  "It's okay Harry, really it is.  Please stop Harry.  It's fine.  Everything will be fine.  I promise.  I'm right here."

            Heather and Sirius were not as fast as Ginny, but they saw both Ginny and Harry in the middle of the floor.  "No, stop," Heather whispered.  Sirius looked at her like she was out of her mind, then really took in the scene before them.  He didn't move, but he didn't look very happy about it.

            _'That's Rose,' came a slow slurred thought.  But it was that thought that triggered the words.  _

            "I was horrible, everything shattered.  All that possibility ruined.  So many things that it could have done, unending possibility.  Shattered, dead.  And the control felt so good.  It felt good!  I could do it again!  I could!  Because I was in control.  Nothing that I didn't want could happen.  Nothing.  I controlled it.  I wanted it.  I killed it.  I killed it.  I killed it."

            "Harry, stop!"  He fell silent, and was looking into Ginny's scared brown eyes.  "You did not like it Harry.  You, you couldn't have liked it!  There is no way that you did.  I'll die if you liked it."

            Whatever it was that had him upset had just escaped out the back window.  It didn't matter.  Not when those brown eyes were filled with the fear they had now.  He reached out and this time he hugged her.  

            She hid her face as he pulled her up on his lap.  "You didn't like it.  Tell me that you didn't like it.  Harry, please."

            "I didn't.  I swear I didn't like it.  It felt so good to be in control of something for once, that's all.  Nothing that I didn't want to could happen.  That felt good.  And it made me sick that it felt good.  But I didn't like it."

            Ginny made a fist and softly hit Harry in the chest repeatedly  "Don't you ever do that to me again."  Her face was still hidden, making her words slightly muffled.  "You are the best, bravest, kindest, most loyal, most loving person I know.  Never scare me like that.  Making me think you went off the deep end.  Don't do that again."

            "I'm sorry, Rose," he whispered.  She looked up at him again, and he smiled at her.  "I guess I was kind of insane, running out here babbling like that."

            "Oh Harry, are you okay?  Was it that horrible?"

            A thoughtful look passed over Harry's face.  "It was horrible, but somehow it doesn't hurt as much knowing I'm the best, bravest, kindest, most loyal, most loving person you know."

            Ginny hugged him tight again.  "You're my best friend Harry."  Her words were muffled again, and Harry wasn't sure that he had heard them right.

            "Your what?"

            "Best friend.  It's true.  Especially since Ron and Hermione are so preoccupied with each other.  But even before that.  I tell you things that I don't tell anybody else, not even my diary.  You're my best friend."

            Harry was getting another feeling.  It was like the one he had gotten the first night that they had searched for the statue, only stronger this time, and still he didn't know what it was.  It wasn't bad, like the one he had about the hidden room.  It wasn't the same, this feeling.  It felt good, and different.

            "Rose," he said hugging her again.  "You're mine too.  I don't know where I would be without you.  I don't know if I could be without you."

            Heather smiled, grabbed Sirius' arm and started to pull him away.  "He's fine.  She has this under control.  Now let's go before we ruin the moment, okay?"

            The common room, like the halls, was empty.  Which was exactly how Ginny really wanted it at the moment.  When she and Harry entered, he fell onto the couch with a sigh.  Ginny lay down in front of the couch on the floor.  She closed her eyes.  She wanted to remember every little detail of that encounter.  It made her heart swell.

            The information on the secret room could wait.  There was no reason that he needed to know now.  In fact it would probably be better if she waited a while to tell him.

            She was his best friend.  She wouldn't tell Ron, because that would lead to trouble, but just knowing that she was the first person he would turn to, made her extremely happy and terribly sad at the same time.

            Yes, it was great that she was his best friend.  But it was most likely that he would always see her that way.  _'I could be more to you, Harry.  I could be your whole world if you let me.'_

            Sally was at the top of the stairs, looking down on her two favorite people.  She had felt Harry's emotional break down, but it hadn't pulled her.  It had pulled through her, to the other bond she carried.  Instead of needing Sally, Harry had needed Ginny.

            A lot had changed today.  And as she watched and read the emotions of the pair of teenagers, it was all she could do not to laugh.

            Harry stared at Ginny.  What was this?  Something was, different.  Not wrong, different.  Was it better?  He couldn't tell.  It was hard to think about it for an amount of time.  Other things kept distracting him.  

She was playing with a lock of hair, and it was so interesting to watch the patterns she made with her finger and hair.  She closed her eyes, and her breathing was starting to slow.  He could tell because the rise and fall of her back slowed down.  She was going to sleep.

He smiled as she drifted off, and then frowned.  What was wrong?  He had seen her sleep before, and for some reason this was, wrong.  When she slept, she looked exactly like she did when awake, but that wasn't true any more.  As she fell asleep, the tension and worry lines faded off her face.  Her shoulders relaxed, and she looked peaceful.  

How could he not notice it before?  Now that he saw the difference, it was painfully obvious.  Something was troubling her when awake.  A problem that she only had a break from when she was asleep.  

What could it be?  Was it the secret room?  Was that becoming even more of an obsession to her?  Speaking of which, had she learned anything from Heather today?  And suddenly a new interest was sparked in him.  If she was so worked up about this, then he should be too.  Forget school.  They weren't going to kick him out if he was a little slack on his homework, or had to miss a class to get some sleep.  In fact, Dumbledore had even told him he could skip Advanced Curses if he didn't feel up to it.  

The conclusion that he drew from all of it was that he had to stop trying to please everybody else and pay a little more attention to what was important, like Ginny, or even himself.  When was the last time he had gone out to practice his sword?  When did he last fly around the Quidditch field that wasn't during practice?  Or even just sit by the memorial stones?  School would have to kiss his ass.

            Hermione and Ron walked in to the common room.  Ginny was asleep on the floor.  Harry was staring silently into the fire, as if he was in deep thought.

            "We probably shouldn't bother him," Hermione whispered.  "You know what he did today."

            "You don't think he needs to talk to us?"

            "I think that's why Ginny is there."  

            Ron frowned.  "Books, do you get the impression that he doesn't need us anymore?"

            "I think he does.  He just needs her more."  Hermione said as she started to drag Ron up the girl's stairway.

            "I don't know if I like that."

            "Jealous?"

            "No!"

            Hermione stopped and turned to look at him.  "Which one are you jealous of?  Ginny spending time with Harry, or Harry spending so much time with your sister?"

            Ron stared at her for a moment, then peeked over the edge of the stair where he could see them below him.  "Both I guess."

            Hermione smiled at him.  "You are so cute."

            Ron's ears turn to match his hair.  "Am not," he muttered.  Hermione only laughed at him while continuing to drag him up the stairs.

            After about an hour of sitting on the couch thinking, Harry decided that he had to get away from his own thoughts.  He crawled off the couch down to the floor beside Ginny.

            Her hated to wake her, but if he didn't occupy his mind soon, he was going to think himself crazy.

            "Rose?"

            "Hmm?" came her sleepy reply.

            "Will you wake up for me?"

            She smiled sleepily.  "Oh, but I don't want to."  She opened one eye to look at him.

            He grinned at her.  "Please?"

            "No."

            "Would it help if I beg?"

            Ginny reached out and poked him in the nose, shocking him.  She started to laugh.  "That face will work."  She sat up and Harry shook his head.  "So," she said with a yawn.  "What was important enough for you to interrupt my wonderful dreams?" 

            "Wonderful were they?  About what?"

            Ginny turned and leaned against the couch, giving him a small smile.  "A pair of strong arms and a feather bed."  Harry paled, and Ginny laughed at him again.  "No really, what did you want?"

            "Did you find anything out with Heather today?"

            "Oh that.  Well, yeah.  She said it was outside, at least the entrance was."

            "Well, that certainly cuts down on our work."

            Ginny looked out the window.  "The sun is setting.  We could go look for it now if you want to."  She looked at him questioningly. 

            Harry bit his lip.  "Yeah, let's go."  He stood up and ran up to the boy's dorm room.  When he came back down a few moments later he had his cloak, broom, and map.

            "Let's get out of here before Booky and Ron get back."

            "Oh, they did while you were asleep.  They went up to her room.  That should keep them busy for at least another hour."

            Ginny covered her smile with her hand.  "Those two are such a pair."

            "Only when they aren't biting each other's heads off," Harry said holding the portrait for her.

            "In Hermione's words; they fight like cats and make up like dogs."

            "Didn't need to know that.  I didn't need to know that."  

            A few minutes later they had isolated the statues of lions on the outside of the castle that didn't move.  As they started to fly to where the statues were marked on the map, they didn't need to wear the cloak.  Anybody who could see them wasn't supposed to be out here either.

            The first one they checked turned out to be a very interesting lion.  It was upside-down, balancing on its head and one paw, with a raven on its one foot, a badger on the other, and a snake wrapped around its leg.  They both agreed that that one wasn't it.

            The next statue they came to was much more normal.  The lion sat tall and proud facing the lake.  Harry stopped and looked at it.

            "This isn't it," he said flatly.

            "How do you know?"

            Harry moved his shoulders as if there was something resting on the back of his neck that he wanted to be rid off.  "That's just it, I don't know.  When we get there, I think I'll know.  And we're close, but this isn't it."

            Ginny's head tilted slightly to the left.  "If you say so, we can always come back."

            They got on Harry's Firebolt and took off again.

            At the next two statues they checked, both were possibilities.  But Harry did the same thing again.  Pointed out flatly that these were wrong.  Ginny was becoming a little skeptical, but for tonight she wouldn't question him.

            They got back on the broom, and Harry was trying to sort himself out again.  He was having a whole mixture of feelings.  _'Are these emotions, or premonitions?  Both?  Why can't I sort anything out?  I wish Sally would help me with this kind of thing.  But no, she just gives me the 'You don't need me to know your own feelings,' speech.  There are two different things working here.  One of them has to do with the statue, I'm sure.  The other, I think has to do with Rose?  What could be wrong with Rose?  Why would I be upset with her?  She's the most wonderful girl that I know.  Unless, I'm not upset with__ her, but about__ her.  But then what does that-'_

            "We're here," Ginny's voice interrupted his thoughts.

            Harry looked up and shuddered.  The feeling that had to do with Ginny was gone.  The feeling that had to do with the statue was engulfing him.  He could have pointed to the lion with his eyes closed.

            "Yes, we are."

            Ginny looked up shocked.  "You mean this is it?"

            "You didn't believe me?"

            "I, well, thought maybe you changed your mind about doing this and just didn't want to tell me.  Or something like that."    

            "No, we're here."

            There were on the top of a tower.  Instead of a point, it had a flat top, and was a perfect circle.  There was what looked like a trap door near the edge on one side. 

            "The map says that the trap door over there leads down into a storage room.  Do you want to go there?"

            Harry shook his head.  "That's not it."

            There were in fact four statues here.  One was of a lion, one a snake, one a eagle, and one a badger.  They all faced the center of the tower, where on the stone, there was a discoloration in the form of a red circle.

            The snake was directly across from the eagle.  It had its head raised in the air.  Its mouth has open and it's fangs showing.  They looked sharp from were he was standing.  It was facing the center, but its eyes were looking at the lion.

            The badger was sitting down across from the lion.  It had its front paws in a way that they almost looked folded.  It could have been looking at the center circle or at the lion.  It would have been easier to tell if its eyes hadn't been closed.

            The eagle, like the badger, didn't appear to be moving like the snake.  It was sitting still, wings folded against it.  One of its beady eyes was staring sharply at the lion.

            The lion was the largest.  Its head was at about the same height as Harry's, and the other animals were in proportion with it.  The lion was facing the center.  It was sitting still, but it appeared to be roaring.  Its sharp teeth were displayed and its eyes faced the stars.

            "Well, I bet those teeth would cut me just fine, but then what?  How does it test it?"

            Ginny looked faithful.  "Harry, when you are trying soup for the first time, how do you test it?"

            Harry managed the best grin he could.  "Very good, Rose.  You could give Hermione a run for her money."

            Ginny blushed prettily and Harry turned to face the statue.  He didn't really have to walk toward it; it was doing a good job of pulling him.  He stared into the mouth of the lion.  This was it.  Now.  He would know.  His heart was pounding into his chest as he reached up toward the mouth.

(A/N: Sorry kiddies.   I can't do it all in one chapter.  I want lots of reviews, and maybe it will be up tomorrow night.

_Draco- Yeah, but tomorrow night to Lily is about 4 AM.  It's 2:51 AM while she's writing this and she still needs to get online and post 32 –34. _

_Lily- Shove it Draco.  It's a damn good thing you're cute as all hell, or I wouldn't keep you around._

_Draco- Well I must say I'm flattered that I am the only character you brought with you on vacation._

_Lily-  Yes, but I didn't bring you for me.  But rather for the person I was going on vacation with.  _

_Draco- *Blushes*  Yes, well, um._

_Lily- *Giggles*  Bye all, thanks for reading._


	35. Finding the Chamber

__

(A/N: The real chapter 35. I hope you all liked my little tease. If you took it too personally and got pissed, well then that's your problem. All I really did was post what I had at the time. I didn't have time to edit this chapter. My way of editing is call a friend and read it outloud. Well it's 3:38 AM, Ally won't be very happy if I call her up to read. So if there are a few mistakes, letters in the wrong place, figure it out, I'll fix it later. Not too much is left to go in this year. Wait till you read the sequel. It cracks me up and I'm writing it!)

Chapter 35

Finding the Chamber

Harry turned to face the statue. He didn't really have to walk toward it; it was doing a good job of pulling him. He stared into the mouth of the lion. This was it. Now. He would know. His heart was pounding into his chest as he reached up toward the mouth.

The teeth suddenly looked much sharper. He had been through a lot of pain, what was one little pricked finger to all that? But his breath caught as he touched it. That had hurt much more then a little cut should have. And it bled more then a little cut should have.

All he had to do now was touch the blood to the lion's tongue. He was about two centimeters away, and stopped.

"I can't."

"Do it Harry, damn it!" Harry didn't move. With a frustrated growl, Ginny walked up and pushed his bleeding finger down into the statue lion's mouth. 

Nothing happened at first. Harry pulled his hand back. He was sure he wasn't wrong. Then the blood started to glow. Then it sunk into the statue and disappeared. Harry and Ginny stared. 

There was a golden light behind them. They spun around to see. The discolored circle in the stone was glowing gold. As they watched, it turned from gold, to red, to scarlet.

They walked towards it as the light started to dim. In place of the circle, there was now a large hole. Attached to the edge of the hole, there was a ladder. The ladder went down low enough for you to clear your head of the hole's edge, and then became a stairway. 

Harry turned to Ginny. He held out the broom and the cloak. "Take these. Go back. I'll get back using the map when I'm done."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but then saw his eyes. He was absolutely terrified. She swallowed once before taking the two objects from him. "Okay, but I'm coming back in a few hours to check on you. And I won't tell Hermione or Ron anything. I promise. Just be careful."

Harry nodded absently, his attention already on the ladder. He started to climb down it slowly. As soon as he reached the stairway, the hole closed again in a flash of gold and red.

Ginny didn't want to go. She had no idea what was happening down there. 'James wouldn't send him anywhere dangerous. He'll be fine.' With a sigh she climbed on his broom and wrapped his cloak around her before flying back to the Gryffindor common room. 

Torches flared up all around Harry as he stepped off the stairway. This was not what one thought of when one heard hidden chamber. When Harry heard the phrase hidden chamber, he thought of the Chamber of Secrets. Cold, dark, slimy, damp. This was nothing like that.

The floor was covered in a thick, deep red carpet. The walls were a soft golden yellow. But the most amazing part was the paintings and portraits that were everywhere. Not just hanging from the walls, but laying on the floor, or propped up against something. In the corner of the room was an easel, sitting on a piece of fabric to protect the carpet. 

Harry hardly dared to believe it. He turned to the painting right beside him and looked at it closely. In the corner was the signature. 

James T. Potter

These, at least most of these, were all his fathers. His eyes darted all around the room, trying to take it all in a once. Harry himself was very proud of the stick figures he used when explaining Quidditch plays, but he had never tried to fool himself that he had more talent then that. This was obviously not true for his father. There was talent there, or there used to be. 

His eyes traveled to a painting that was wrapped in parchment on the coffee table. He walked over and very carefully removed the paper that covered the painting inside. It was the school. The same painting that the picture had been of it the museum. 

What surprised Harry was that very few of the paintings were alive. And none of the portraits were. It seemed like such a shame, as they were so well done. 

He walked over to the painting on the easel. It was of Hagrid's cabin, right down to a rather large puppy that had to be fang when he was little. It looked like it was done to Harry, but clipped on a piece of parchment beside it was a list.

Highlight the pumpkin slightly more on the right side.

Not enough shading on Fang's underside.

The shadow of the forest tress isn't large enough.

The list went on, and Harry looked closer at the painting. It looked fine to him. James must have been very critical of his own work.

'Maybe that's why none of them were brought to life. Maybe he didn't think they were good enough.'

He started to look around again, and then he noticed the doors. This wasn't all of it. It was bigger then this. 

The left door led to a small green bathroom. He didn't see anything too interesting about it, and anxious to move on, he shut the door and moved to the other one. 

It was a kitchen. Complete with stove and a magical icebox. He walked onto the white tile and looked around in complete shock. This was scary. Not the fact that it was a kitchen, he should have assumed there was one, but it looked lived in. There was still a glass of water sitting on the counter. There was a book sitting open on the table, right next to a vase of flowers that had been dead so long he could no longer tell what they were. There weren't any paintings in this room.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over Harry. This looked right. He searched his brain, are realized that this was the setting for many of the pictures in his photo album. 

As he walked toward the door on the other side of the room, he realized what this place was missing. There was no sense of age to it. No sense of storage, like a house that is going to be closed up for thirteen years would have. Then he realized, it was because it wasn't closed up. They had just left. Nothing had been ready for it. They just walked out, no notice at all. Were they living here? It didn't make sense.

The next door led into the family room. There were several large plush chairs, and a large couch placed in front of the fireplace. The hard wood floors were covered in several areas by oriental rugs. There were a few paintings in this room, but none of living things, none of them moving. The room was spacious, but cozy. It made you want to curl up by the fire and read. Which would probably explain the large number of books in the bookshelf by the fire.

There were three more doors leading off of this room. The first one Harry tried was a broom closet. The second led to a little bedroom. This was the only room he had seen so far that looked like it hadn't been lived in. 

The third door led to another bedroom, and this one was very obviously lived in. The bed in the middle of the large room was queen sized. The bed was not made. There were two wardrobes on either side of the room. On each side of the bed there was a small stand. On one of these stands there was another vase of long dead flowers. There was also a set of reading glasses on the other one, and a quill stuck in an ink bottle that had dried up because it had been left open.

On the same wall as the door that Harry had just walked in, there was a dresser. The dresser had a large mirror, and lots of little drawers. Sitting on top was a hairbrush and a hair clip of a water lily that looked so real he reached out to touch it. He snapped his hand back quickly. He was afraid of disturbing anything. It had to be his mother's brush; there were a few red hairs inside it. 

There were yet two more doors leading off of this room, one on each side. He walked to one, and found yet another bathroom. This one was a lot bigger then the other, four times as big actually, but it was still only a bathroom. 

The next door opened to reveal a small bedroom. The color of the room was a soft green, and as he walked in his chest tightened.

The bed was a crib. This had to have been his room. He shook his head. That didn't make sense. Why would his parents live in the school even after they had both graduated? Or maybe they were hiding here?

The room smelled like baby powder. There was a book shelf with a number of different titles in it. The Little Witch's First Wand. The Little Witch and the Spell That Wouldn't Stop. The Little Witch and Her First Potion, were just a few of them. Most of them seemed to start with 'The Little Witch'. There was also a bin full of baby toys, and Harry decided against touching them yet. A soft chair sat beside the crib. He peeked over the edge of the crib. There was a wrinkled blanket and a small stuffed phoenix inside it. He reached over the edge and picked up the little stuffed animal.

He searched his brain for any memory of the little thing. He found none, but he was sure it was his. It, felt like his. He set it back down in the crib. There was a picture resting on the dresser of his parents, holding him for what he assumed was the very first time, judging by the size of him.

Harry turned, and walked back out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him. He really wanted to look around in there more, but he didn't know if he could handle it right now. 

Now, before he lost all his courage completely, he had to find his father's journals. Then, he would know why this place looked like they had just got up and left. Then he would know everything.

Where would you hide something in this room? He spent what seemed like hours, but was probably only about ten minutes, looking in all the obvious places; under the bed, under the pillow, and so on. He was beginning to get frustrated, and as the time went by, it seemed he got more afraid of what he was looking for.

Then he stopped and thought for a moment. James and Lily were the only people who could get in here. He wouldn't need to hide it from Lily, she wouldn't have read it unless he let her. That much about his mother's personality he knew. So he didn't hide it, there was no need. Where would he store it? Just to keep it out of the way?

Harry's eyes fell on the wardrobe, and a spark lit. The kind of a spark when you know something before you know it. He got up off the floor and opened the wardrobe. There were a bunch of robes, and a few cloaks, various hats. The bottom seemed to be covered with shoes. There was a shelf at the top, and though it was above his head, Harry could just see the spine of a book. 

With a rush of triumph, he reached up to pull whatever was up there down. Into his hands fell not one book, but ten. Some small, some thicker, but Harry had been in the wizard world long enough to know that not only could you not judge a book by its cover, but you also could not judge it by its size. A small book could easily be a very large book, just hiding until you thought you were almost at the end.

The first book, on a blue denim cover, read _James T. Potter, First Year_. The next six books were labeled in the same way, his father's name, and what year he had been at the time he wrote it. Then the eighth book changed. _James T. Potter_, it read _Hogwarts Teacher. _ The next one read _James T. Potter, Husband._ The last book's title made Harry's heart pull. It read simply; _Harry's Father._

Carrying his new find, he walked back out into the family room, and sat down on the couch, scorning the irony of the room. _'Curl up by the fire with a good book my ass. It's too warm for a fire, and this isn't exactly a book.'_

He wasn't exactly sure why, but he had already decided to read the last book first. It might not have all the answers, but it would have been the closest one to James' death. That thought made Harry reach up and touch his mother's ring on his chest.

He opened the book, and hardly breathing, started to read.

__

The title of this journal is easily explained. For someday, I hope to be known through my son. Funny, as a child, the son never wants to be known by his father, but as a father, he want's to be known by his son. Someday, a person on the street, or in a bar, that I don't know, will point at me and whisper to his company "That's Harry Potter's father." And I will smile, my heart filled with pride. Because even if this person only knows my son's name because they met the day before, I will be proud of him for whatever he does, and will be honored to have been the one to father him.

So, this journal is no longer a journal, but more a book to my son Harry. Someday when I'm dead and gone, he will pick up this book, and see what it was like from this side of the arrow. 

Dear Harry,

I love you. Precautions must be taken into account. For with your birth, the protection of my life was lost, a sacrifice I most willingly make. But there's the chance, that I won't be around. In which case you must learn who, and what you are. This book, can never leave the chamber, because the information it holds could be fatal to you, or the next in your bloodline. Over the next month, all that I know, everything I have researched and found out, will be put into these pages. Read this well, because I write this book for you. And always remember that I love you, it makes the world seem a little brighter.

Love, 

Your father, James Theodore Potter

Dear Harry,

I love you. You are a week old today. Your eyes are your mothers, I can see it in them already. Lily says that you are going to look just like me. I hope this is so, I wish my son to have stunning good looks such as I. As I sit here, watching you sleep with Leeka, your little phoenix, I write down things that in a few short years will change your life. I should probably start where it starts. You must know about Hogwarts, if you are reading this, as it will never leave the chamber, and the chamber is in Hogwarts. The founders of Hogwarts, Godric, Helga, Rowena, and Salazar, is where it starts. It seems they are where a lot of things started. Back then, magic was pure. It was real. And it was starting to die. The people without magic, the ones we now call Muggles, were becoming jealous of the power that was only granted to few. Nothing is very clear on the how, only the why. The power that lived in people was beginning to fade. During their time, it was hardly noticeable. But working at the school, the founders noticed, and it worried them.

Helga was a seer, if that's the way you're supposed to put it. Her visions all seemed to involve this knowledge that the founders held. This knowledge of the falling of magic as a whole. They hoped that it would fade off. Be fixed and made up for by the birth of the next year. But it seemed Helga's visions proved otherwise. This would continue, and for some reason, it needed to continue. But hundreds of years later, it needed to stop, and be reversed. And it would be the founders jobs to do this.

They were rather stumped. How were they supposed to fix something, but were not allowed to fix it until they were long dead and gone. Over many years, they tried to come up with an answer, but they couldn't.

It seems you are awake, and want to be held. You don't cry Harry, you just reach out and whine until somebody picks you up. You don't even care who. Just as long as you're held. I will write again later.

Love,

Your Father.

Dear Harry,

I love you. We went back home for a few days, so everybody could come visit you. Lily doesn't seem to mind that we have to spend so much time in the chamber. I think it has become a comfort to her, a small bit of peace.

Your Godfather, and Godmother I suppose, were there today. Sirius does really have a soft spot, one with his mother's eyes and my hair. I have never seen him so careful, or so quiet. He seems to believe that if he speaks above a whisper he'll hurt you. You just smile and look at him, and reach out to be held. That scares him. He's afraid he'll drop you. Heather on the other hand, never wants to put you down. She caries you around and tells you stories about what an idiot Sirius is. Then Remus came in, and once again you were fascinated with his hair. You're mother's is long, mine is, well you'll know in a few years, Sirius' is long, Heather's is long, but Remus', is short. This fascinates you. Whenever he holds you, you reach for his hair and can't get to it. It's a shame Peter hasn't been around. His hair is shorter then Remus'.

Back to what I was saying. The founders couldn't come up with an answer. Then one day, as they were sitting in what I'm assuming is the great hall still, Helga had a prediction. She didn't get them often, she was more often a viewer, but this was indeed a prediction. Except, they didn't understand a word of it. To them, it sounded like gibberish. But after she finished talking, she spoke it again, in the language they knew, and they were shocked. Then, a light, golden we think, flew out of Helga, split into four lights, and one went into each founder. 

It was Rowena, never really believing in this kind of magic, but now seeing it for herself and accepting it for what it was, that came up with the answer.

The first part had not been gibberish, but rather a language that had not yet been invented. Godric, having built that room, could make the walls talk. So he had them repeat what it had heard. Over and over. They wrote down and sounded out everything they could of the one that sounded like gibberish to them, and then what they had heard.

Your mother has every book in the Hogwarts library checked out on this subject. They are in the bookshelf by the fireplace. They will not go back to the library. She says she doesn't want your classmates to learn of it if possible. She's being paranoid. But we'll let her go for a while, huh? If you need to read the prophesy, it's there.

Well, after the prediction, Helga performed a spell, unconsciously, that used all her magic. She was never able to perform magic again. I'll go into the spell later. Lily wants me to put you to bed.

Love,

Your Father.

Dear Harry,

I love you. You grow so fast! You're the most curious little thing I've ever seen. You love being talked to, or read to, or sung to as Lily tends to do. You should be very grateful that I have never sang to you. Lily is currently, 'Not talking to me.' Though it's only been five minutes and she's already messed up twice. She want's me to send my painting of the school to the museum for their new section going up on Hogwarts. I don't want to, it's not good enough. I tried to paint you the other day, and destroyed it almost instantly. Adults are easier. There is a light, a life in a smiling baby that can't be captured in a painting, and is dulled even in a moving photograph. Maybe I will try while you are sleeping.

Right, the spell. Let's see, it was a large one. No wonder it took all of her magic.

First of all, the singlazation (Is that even a word?) of the bloodline. They knew that there would be descendants. But if only one was to be left standing, and they let the bloodline spread, there would be thousand of descendants that would die. So each founder was limited to a single child. And their children, a single child. And there would always be a child. The next in the blood line would always have a child.

The next part was the protection. The bloodline couldn't be cut by an outside party. This fight was between the founding blood. So, until their child is born to carry on the line, the descendent would be protected. They could not die. Only by the hand of another descendent. If they were to have died if not had this protection, (in other words, if Lily had tied to blast me to bits before you were born) they would experience the pain, but not die. 

There was a little bit of happiness thrown into all of this. If you didn't want a child, or were going to try not to have one, a pain would seize you. It is what killed my father. The problem was, once this pain seized you, even if you had a child, it didn't go away. However, the fates wanted to be fair. If you had to have a child, then you could have it with the right person. A love, a true love, would come to every descendent. There is no protection on this person, no guarantee that your child would be with them, but you would meet them. And love them. Mine would be your mother. 

So, you now have four very happy people, meeting the person of their dreams, falling in love, and the only way they can die is if these four people want to kill each other.

That is where the gift comes into play. The 'Founder's Crown.' To be granted to the first descending child born when the other three line are dead and gone. Suddenly, there's a prize to killing off the other very happy people.

Well, the founders were suddenly all very suspicious. This wasn't supposed to happen for thousands of years, but what if their line was cut? There had been problems from the start of the school. Lily and I think this is the real reason Salazar left the school after Godric beat him at a sword fight. That story is something in its self, look it up. So, the Chamber of Secrets was supposedly invented. I think that was twisted, personally. This chamber, the one you are sitting in right now, (because if you took this out of there I will be very upset), was built by Godric. And just like The Chamber of Secrets, can only be opened by his bloodline. He used a seeing spell and a blood testing spell on the entrance. It can be opened only by his blood, and that 'one true love' person of his descendent. (Maybe that's the monster living in the chamber? Don't tell your mother I said that.) Maybe Salazar did build the Chamber of Secrets. Maybe Helga and Rowena did too. They all wanted to do was protect their children's children's children's, well you get the idea. 

Lily suddenly wants to talk to me again. I'll write again later.

Love,

Your Father.

Harry had to stop. He rubbed his eyes hard, making things blurry. What was his father saying? If only Godric's bloodline could open the chamber, then he was of Godric's bloodline? It was, wrong. Dumbledore had told him once that Voldemort was Salazar's last living descendent. He really needed to read the prediction, this prophesy, but as soon as he could focus again, he plunged right back into the book.

__

Dear Harry,

I'll just jump into what I was saying before. Wait, I love you, don't forget. So, Godric creates this chamber, there's supposedly a sword out there if his blood line is one of the chosen, and he's still not done messing around with future generations. So, this fall of wizards. This seeping away of the magic. If he could stop it from happening to his blood line, he could give his line an advantage.

The spell was, odd. It wasn't set to work for thousands of years, when he was predicting the Descendant's War would take place. It would give the power a boost. The child, would have twice as much magical power as the parent. Then that child's child, would have twice as much power as it's parent. Godric was a brave man, just not a very bright one. This started about a hundred years ago. The spell came into effect. The power grew, and grew. 

So, a very smart witch a few generations back, realized that depending on the person, this power might be more then they could hold without burning out. Burning out wouldn't kill them like it would others, it would just hurt, and hurt, and hurt. So, she spent her life, designing a block, and a redirection. The block would go over the power that the child was being given, not what they would have naturally had. Then, when they were able to handle it, and the block sensed they were, it would break, letting all that power out. She also channeled it away. Some of it. Using a lot of it to become Animagus. Think of it. Becoming Animagus with raw power. It took a lot. If she had not directed that amount of power into that, the block would never have come down for anybody, because nobody would be able to handle it. 

The block was also stretchable. So if some of this power was needed, in an emergency one could draw through the block.

I'll tell you what happens if you never get the block down later. We're going to go see Sirius, Remus, and Heather again.

Love,

Your Father.

Dear Harry,

I love you. So, what happens if your body is never able to handle the power? The block never comes down. You die with it. That's what happened to my father. The child, gets twice as much, as was behind the block of the parent, even though that block never came down. When the block does come down, it hurts. Your blood speeds. The magic pours through, and you're body has to adjust, and can't fast enough. Then you start to turn into a lion. Yes, a lion. Every transformation is the same. If you actually take the steps to becoming Animagus, you have to take the alter to second choice. Or else you will become Animagus twice. I don't know what happens there. I don't want to.

What haven't I covered? Well. Oh, I know. The descendants are, were, kind of connected. The Ravenclaw and Huffelpuff descendants are dead. I felt them go. Voldemort, we call him now. I didn't want to have to go into this, but should something happen to us, and not you, you need to know.

Voldemort. The name is spoken in fear. Or not spoken. He is Salazar's descendent. I'm not positive what happened to him, but I have my theories. I think he killed his love. I don't know why I think this, but when I get these feelings, they are always right. He hasn't had a child, and won't. That means the pain is with him. It still hasn't killed him. Because he still hasn't had a child.

But, he shouldn't be able to bare it for too much longer. In the meantime, us two being the only descendants left besides him, are probably who he will come after. Just to be safe, we are going to go into hiding soon. Dumbledore will send us the word, short notice. Our ultimate goal is to keep him from you. 

I don't know what the Founder's Crown is, or what the tests are. But I can't be the chosen, so we're assuming it's you. And him. If he receives those gifts, who knows what horror he might let in the world. You, little Harry, are the world's greatest hope right now.

It's kind of scary, watching the world's unknown hero sleep in a crib curled up next to a phoenix named Leeka. (Your mother named it, not me.) But, even if you really are worth the world to everybody, you are my world. You always have been.

Love Always,

Your Father.

That was it. There was no more. Harry let out a despaired cry. They must have gone into hiding the next day. He was more confused then ever. His father had wrote this assuming he had already known it, just as a precaution. Assuming he knew the prophesy. 

Harry looked over at the bookshelf. _Helga's Last Act_, _The Descendant's War; Myth or Fact?_, and _Hufflepuff's Viewings_ were just a few of the titles he saw. 

He reached over and pulled _The Descendant's War; Myth or Fact? _off of the shelf. He opened to the table of contents.

__

The Prophesy; The Descendant's War - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page (3) Three appeared at the top.

Harry turned the page to three. Now, it might all make sense. 

__

(A/N: Don't you love me? Thanks to some guy in the Poconos who owns a house he rents out for his name. The Phoenix spells if differently for Mr. Leeka's safety. *Snort*

Draco- Lily has news.

Lily- I do, I do. It seems, one of my good friends gave my penname to my parents. Now I suddenly have my parents reading this. The writing might change, and those of you who were hoping for a lot of Draco snoging in the sequel's sequel, well so was I! Oh well. We'll keep it nice and clean..... mostly.

Draco- No snoging? 

Lily- They can read between the lines. You live between the lines. Do your snoging there. 

Draco- *Looks pointedly at a picture* She's not between the lines.

Lily- Parts of her are! The parts you know anyway. Are you all very confused yet? Thanks for reading, you earn brownie points if you review.)


	36. The Descendant’s War Prophesy

Chapter 36

The Descendants' War Prophesy

Harry reached over and pulled _The Descendant's War; Myth or Fact? _off of the shelf. He opened to the table of contents.

__

The Prophesy; The Descendant's War - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page (3) Three appeared at the top.

Harry turned the page to three. Now, it might all make sense. He started to read.

__

Good verses evil, wrong verses right,

One will never win the fight.

The battles are never done,

So set your heart and win one.

Of Hogwarts founders four,

The blood line must remain pure.

To each founder one child alone,

So the descending is clearly shown.

A descendent will not meet death,

Until after their baby's breath.

The only way to break a band,

Is by another descendant's hand.

From four to two to one,

To the last descending son.

When two are gone and two remain,

Both are given too much fame.

Both raised unaware,

The founder's blood they did share.

Both born with the power to lead,

Followers they will unwillingly need.

So much alike, but not the same,

Too much is put inside a name.

Hallow's place on Hallow's night,

The two chosen begin the fight.

One of darkness, one of light,

One of wrongs, one of right.

One bellow and one above,

One of hate and one of love.

Fighting temptation of evil's power,

Bonds of love will form and flower.

Good and evil isn't night and day,

You encounter shades of gray.

A chosen weapon with a mind,

Knows to whom it will bind.

The weapon will bind when there's a need,

To fight another's endless greed.

A weapon used to help defend,

A weapon used to also mend.

A tiny push and some advice,

Every advantage has a price.

Though enemies from the start,

The last battle's within the heart.

The Descendant's War will come to close,

At the place where it first rose.

With two the battle will begin,

A child will define the win.

Three lines broke, one remains,

The last descendent, lacking pain. 

First born with three lines down,

Will receive the Founder's Crown.

The founding four are sent home,

By a power that's beyond their own.

A precious gift to earn from each,

Last to arrive has a lesson to teach.

To return the four will need,

A host of energy to feed.

The child that defined the war,

Will share the burden with one more.

The Raven in the Lion's Den,

There, gone, back again.

When the Badger does arrive,

She'll greatly damage her host's pride.

The snake will come in his sly way,

Through the last expected on their last day.

To earn the gifts pass each test.

Prove worth of the last line left.

Godric's test, the first of four,

Is the Descendant's War.

Helga's test of one loyal,

To be passed on Hogwart's soil.

Rowena's test, though for one smart,

Must forget the mind in games of heart.

Salazar's test of grief and strife,

One beloved will lose their life.

A promise made will seem to break,

Another's life it may well take.

A promise broke only by death,

Is, in the life, still kept.

Harry stopped, and read it again. He pieced it together with everything his father had told him, looking back.

He turned and stared into the empty fire place, and didn't move again for many hours.

Ginny landed on the tower again. There was still no sign of Harry. "He'sss down there alright," Sally said from Ginny's neck.

"Is he okay?" 

"No. Ssstop panicking. He'sss not in danger. He doesssn't need me, or you. I would know. But he'sss not okay. He'sss in shock. He found sssomething down there. Sssomething, well, shocking."

Ginny cursed mentally. "I want down there! Whatever he found out, he could talk to me."

"I don't think he'sss coming out any time sssoon. We might asss well go back and try again in the morning."

Ginny gave a frustrated growl. "Harry Potter, you are going to be the death of me."

When Ginny woke up the next morning, it was still twilight outside. She hadn't slept very well, when she slept. Sally was by the window, also wide awake.

"Not back yet is he?"

Sally shook her head.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked later that day.

Ginny shrugged, carefully avoiding Hermione's eyes without looking like she was avoiding Hermione's eyes. "I dunno. Any reason?"

"Ron says he never heard him come in last night, and if he was there, he left before Ron woke up."

"He's had a lot of work lately."

"You, you don't think it might have to do with his class with Sirius, do you?"

Ginny looked up. In finding the chamber, she had forgotten all about that. "That might be it Booky. I was there. He took it pretty bad. He might just need some time to himself." Hermione nodded, her face grim. Ginny felt sick from lying about something like that, but it was necessary.

Harry wasn't seen all day. Ginny was more worried then she thought she could be, and couldn't show it at all. Ron and Hermione seemed to accept the fact that if she wasn't worried, then there was no reason for them to be. So she had to keep up the appearance. The school would return that evening, Easter break over, and classes would start the next day. Ginny hoped against hope that he would be back by then.

Ginny found herself reassuring numerous teachers over and over that yes, indeed, Harry was fine, when she didn't know if she even believed it herself.

The school came back, and among so many students, Harry's absence went unnoticed for a while. It wasn't until the forth year boys were heading to bed that Seamus questioned his missing classmate.

"Hey Ron, I haven't seen Harry all night. Where is he?"

Ron paused. "Nobody's seen him for a couple of days now."

"Whoa, back up. Why? And why isn't everybody freaking out about it?"

Ron finished putting on his pajamas before he answered. "Well, Ginny says he needed some time to himself."

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Um, well, uh," Ron stuttered. "You see, he had to learn, the killing spells, or at least one of them."

The room was quiet for a moment. "He learned them?"

Ron nodded, his eyes bright blue even in the darkening room. "And the other day, he had to test it on something."

"Didn't it work?" Neville asked. "It's not his fault if he can't do it. Most grown Wizards can't."

"No, Neville. The thing was it did work."

A very think silent fell on the room. Seamus was the first to break it. "Ron, that, that's dark magic. The darkest."

"You don't think I know that? He's been learning all kinds of it. Not just learning it, being taught. It doesn't bother the girls, but it did bother me at first. Hermione says he has to learn it. His best weapon is knowing what the enemy's weapons are, or something like that."

"It's still dark!" Neville squeaked.

"That's what I said," Ron said solemnly. "But the think that makes dark magic dark is the fact that it causes pain to the user. Just because it's dark doesn't make it evil. Hermione says, if there was anybody in this world she would trust to know dark magic and not use it for evil, it's Harry. And I must say I agree with her."

The three other boys chewed on that for a minute. "So, he used a killing spell, and now he's in hiding and won't come out?"

"I'm sure he'll be back for classes tomorrow."

But Ron was wrong. There was still now sign of Harry by breakfast. Actually, there was plenty of signs of Harry, it was just nobody had seen him. For example, his broom and invisibility cloak had disappeared from Ginny's dorm the night before.

Ginny tried to distract herself with the morning paper, and it did a very good job. There was an article on the art museum on Hogsmeade. The painting by James Potter that had never made it to the museum was found on the doorstep

__

"It was just sitting there, wrapped up for mailing like. With a little note on it." Says the owner of the museum. This is the copy of the note.

It's my understanding that this was promised to the museum by Lily Potter. Please take note that the artist, James Potter, strongly objected to even asking if you wanted it, for he believed it not good enough. Well, I agree with my mother. Here it is.

-H.P.

Ginny stopped reading the article. She was a little relieved, this proved that he was in no danger, and even more worried, because she read between the lines of that note. _'He needs me, damn it! And I can't help him!'_

Her thoughts were interrupted. There was a tap on her shoulder, and she spun around to see Madam Pince.

"Miss. Weasley. Those books that you were looking for, the ones that were missing, have been found and returned. With this note." She handed a note and three books to Ginny.

__

I found the books, I returned the books, but make sure that Ginny Weasley receives right away the three titled The Descendant's War, Myth or Fact?

Helga's Viewings

The Descendant's War, What Could it Mean?

-H.P.

"Thank you, Madam Pince," Ginny said, tucking the books in her back. The lady smiled.

"Thank your friend, and thank him for me too."

Ginny forced a smile on her face. "I will."

Sally shook her head. "That boy. What are we going to do with him?"

"I don't know, Sally. I don't know."

By lunch, word had spread all over the school on what had happened to Harry, and why he was missing. Ginny tried to keep busy so people would stop asking her if she had seen him. "Not for a while, no," she would reply. But at lunch, Dumbledore called her to the front.

Of coarse, the hall fell silent. Everybody wanted to hear what he would say. 

"Miss. Weasley, have you seen Mr. Potter?"

Ginny swallowed. "Not for a while, Sir, no." 

"How long is a while?"

"Not yesterday, but the night before, late, was when I saw him last." Her heart was pounding in her chest. It was impossible to lie to Dumbledore.

"Can you tell me where he is?"

Ginny could have sunk to her knees right then and there. If he had asked, "Do you know where he is?" she would have had to say yes. "No, Sir, I can't."

"I see, but you do know, don't you?"

Ginny stopped breathing, and if hadn't been her, would have laughed. She nodded slowly. "Yes, Sir," she whispered.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I thought so. I don't suppose you can get to him, can you?"

She shook her head. "But he is okay?" 

She looked at the floor. "Physically, he's perfectly fine."

Dumbledore let out a sigh. "And we can't get to him."

Ginny thought back to the Chamber of Secrets. Not even the ghosts could get in it. It was probably the same way with this chamber. But-

"Professor, I might be able to get a message to him!"

Ten minutes later Ginny was scribbling quickly on a piece of parchment while most of the staff sat and watched her. She blushed, and she knew it, but she kept her attention on what she was doing. 

"Done," she said signing it. Dumbledore reached for the letter, and she instinctively jerked it away. "Sorry," she said quickly. "But I promised not to tell."

Dumbledore nodded again. Ginny walked over and put the letter in the bird's beak. She bent over and whispered the destination in its ear.

"Think you can do it?" The bird nodded. "Now, keep that location a secret, okay?" It nodded again before disappearing.

Ginny sat down again. Now they just had to wait.

Harry was reading again. Year Three this time. He didn't cry anymore. He'd run out of tears. He stopped and put the book up again. He had to read them in small spurts. Too much at once was too much. 

He was sleeping on the couch. He had gotten enough food in Hogsmeade to last him a few days. When was Easter over? What day was it? He had lost track, but he didn't really care anymore.

He stared in the empty fire place listening to it rain outside. It really fit his mode. He heard music playing faintly.

Suddenly, everything didn't seem so horrible. He could deal with this. Hell, he should be happy about it. It wasn't everyday you found out only one person in this world could kill you. And hadn't he know? Somewhere deep down there in the places inside him he never liked to look at, hadn't he known?

The music was louder, he realized suddenly. There was a pop, and his eyes fell on an old friend.

"Fawlks." The bird grinned at him, and Harry couldn't help but grin back. No wonder his mood had jumped when the music started. "Increase the courage of the pure of heart and to strike fear into the hearts of the impure." That was what it said in the text book. 

The phoenix opened its beak, and a piece of parchment fell out. Harry picked in up, as the phoenix sat down beside him on the couch.

__

Dear Harry,

If he could get into the Chamber of Secrets, I figured he would be able to get in there to you. Everybody seems to have found out about the killing spells. I have got everybody believing that this is the reason you aren't around. And they are starting to assume you are in the Chamber of Secrets. Even Dumbledore doesn't know. You owe me. I understand if you need to stay there, and thanks for the books. But please at least write back. They are all worried, and really, so am I. I went to check on you, and you forgot me.

Always,

Rose.

Harry let out a sigh. "I've been such an idiot." Fawlks nodded. "Oh, thanks for the support. Only the staff will see this right?" Fawlks nodded again.

Harry walked into his parent's bedroom and from the desk took a piece of parchment and, a pen? He smiled. Probably his mother's. He preferred pens anyway. 

When he was finished, he handed the letter to Fawlks who disappeared with a pop.

He was being an idiot. Of coarse people were wondering where he was. And once again Ginny saved him. He did owe her, a lot. He owed her at least an explanation. She deserved to know too. 

There was a pop and everybody in the room looked up. Fawlks flew to Dumbledore and dropped the letter. He opened in and his eyes flew through it, then he sighed.

"It says; _Dear Anybody,_

I'm fine. Or at least, I am now. Fawlks was a great help. Good call on that one Rose. I will be back later, and I promise to make up all the work I am missing. Please reassure my teacher that I am not mad at him. Very far from it. And give Rose a message; Twelve Midnight Roses in the Lion's Mouth. Thank you very much.

-H.P."

Ginny sighed with relief, and they looked at her. "What does it mean?" Sirius asked.

Ginny smiled. "It means that he's fine, not just telling you he is. I have to go, classes you know."

At midnight, Ginny landed on the tower. Harry was already there. She ran up to him and gave him a hug. 

"What was that for?" he asked when she let go.

"You looked like you needed one," she answered with a smile. He gave her an odd look, and blushing she changed the subject quickly.

"What happened?"

They sat down, and Harry started to tell her. It took a long time, because she had yet to read the whole prophesy, but he had a copy of if, and she took it all in silently.

"Wait, stop for a minute and let me get this straight." He looked at her. "You, you are Godric's Gryffindor's descendent? And, most likely one of the two 'chosen' in this prophesy? And, not only is Voldemort the only person on the planet that can kill you before you have a kid, but in a few years you're going to have some sort of transformation in which you're granted twice a much power as your father was granted, and you become automatically Animagus?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, that about covers it so far."

"Thisss makesss everything so much clearer. I wasss right. Sssomething isss connecting you to one other perssson. Your true love, and all that romantic shit."

"Sal, don't put it that way, you act like I have no say it it."

"But you don't."

"I do. That's the thing. It says I will meet her and love her. Nothing else. I don't have to marry her. I don't have to even talk to her. I can just love her from a far."

"Okay, can we please talk about the other things right now, that's the least of my worries at the moment." It was a lie. That was eating at her. It was breaking her heart. She didn't have a chance. Not even a small one. He would meet love, and never know her feelings.

"Okay, let's walk through the prophesy. Rose, you should be good at this. The first part is mostly about the spell. We know that. 'Four to two to one, to the last descending son.' We know it's s-o-n. What's that mean?"

"Four descending lines, to two descending lines, to the last son of the descending line. That we think is you."

"Not yet, not if Voldemort is alive. 'When two are gone and two remain, both are given too much fame.' That's me and Voldie alright. I hate mine, and his is what makes him feel all important. 'Both raised unaware, the founder's blood they did share.' I was, but was Voldemort?"

"Tom grew up in a Muggle orphanage. I doubt he knew what he was until he got to school. 'Born with the power to lead, followers they will unwillingly need.' Well that's you, a leader, but you hate bringing other people into this mess, like me. Voldemort's a leader, but does he not want followers?"

"I don't know if it's not wanting them, as so much as not liking needing them. Without a host, he couldn't have got a body. He had to take over somebody, like he did first year. Without Wormtail, he wouldn't have been able to keep that body, he wouldn't have had enough power to kill off the person he was sharing it with. He wants them, he just doesn't want to need them."

"'So much alike, but not the same, too much is put inside a name.'" They didn't need to discuss that one, just look at each other. 

"Hallow's place. My parents were in Godric's Hallow when they were attacked."

"And it was Halloween. Hallow's Eve. Hallow's night."

"The two chosen must be me and Voldemort. That is where we started our fight."

"The next two verses are very self explanatory. 'Fighting temptation of evil's power, bonds of love will form and flower.' What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"People around Harry fall in love. I've ssseen it between Heather and Sssiriusss, and Hermione and Ron. I didn't realize it wasss Harry, or I would have sssaid sssomething. I guessssss, being sssurrounded by people in love, remindsss Harry what ssside he'sss fighting for, and why he'sss doing it."

"You mean to tell me Hermione and Ron are going to stay together?"

"I didn't sssay that. But they love each other now, and if they were to sssplit up, they would mossst likely both fall in love again."

__

"The next one, 'Good and evil isn't night and day, you encounter shades of gray.' What about that?" Ginny asked.

"It's saying that good and evil isn't always like light and dark. There are people in the middle. Could mean spies. Snape for instance. He's evil, but he's on the good side."

"The next part is about your sword Harry. A weapon with a mind, binding to somebody. Because there's a need to fight Voldemort's greed."

"But it says it will defend and mend? How can a sword mend?"

"It can, if you're going to die if you don't cut off your leg. Then it's mending."

"Rose, I don't think that's what it means."

Ginny shrugged. "Ron gave you that book for Christmas. Did you read up about your sword?"

"I forgot," Harry said, blushing. "I will."

"Okay humansss, I can read too. I've been practicing real hard. 'A tiny push and sssome advice, every advantage hasss a price.' Ssstill the sssword, or sssomething else?"

"Could be lots of things. Dumbledore, you, the sword, Ginny, Ron, Hermione. Take your pick."

"Or it could be all of them," Ginny said. "You were enemies from the start, but the last battle's within the heart? I mean, it makes sense if you only win if you're pure of heart and all that, but life doesn't go that way." Harry shrugged.

"'The Descendant's War will come to close, at the place where it first rose.' It rose in Godric's Hallow. Maybe that's why nobody has ever taken me back there."

"The battle started with two, you and Voldie. Are you still a child? Are you defining the win?"

"Could it be one of the children he's taken? Like, if he gets one more I won't win?"

"Or, maybe you're child will define the win," Sally said simply. "Maybe not," she replied to Harry's look. 

"The rest is all about what happens after Voldemort or I are dead. All I understand of it is that it would be bad if Voldemort got these 'gifts'."

"But Harry, it says 'First _born_ with three lines down.' So even if Voldemort killed you, he wouldn't get the gifts, his child would. The first born after the other three are gone."

Harry looked up at the sky. "So, he wants to kill me so his child can get all kinds of gifts. And somehow, these gifts will reverse the fall of magic?" He sighed.

Ginny laid down beside him. "You're not coming back tonight, are you?"

"No, there are a few things I want to do down there. Things that I need to take care of. A stuffed animal I need to reclaim as mine."

Ginny gave him a look, but didn't reply. They laid there for a while before going their separate ways.

__

(A/N: Really fast, aren't I? Once again, not edited very well, but wasn't it worth it? Ally, I FOUND MY ANIMAL BOOK. The purple people took it under my bed. Thanks for reading, kudos if you review.)


	37. Pulling Need

__

(A/N: I would LOVE to say here, that the completely edited version on this story will be seen on Gryffindortower.net. But I have just received an E-mail from them saying that they don't accept forth year stories, unless they're really really good. Apparently, I'm not, they don't want me. So everybody who keeps saying 'You should put this of Gryffindortower' please stop. You'll only make the wound deeper.)

Chapter 37 

Pulling Need

Harry walked back down into the chamber and looked around at all the paintings once more. He tried to talk himself out of the feeling of regret. After all, this wasn't the last time he was going to be here. He could come back whenever he wanted.

However, he walked around and looked at each painting, memorizing it with all he had. He picked out his favorite ones, mentally wrote down their names. His favorite was the one with a twelve year old Heather sound asleep on the shoulder Sirius, sixteen at the time, and also sound asleep. He wondered if they had ever seen it. Someday, he would have to ask. Someday when it was safe to talk about his father's disappeared painting.

It probably wasn't a very smart move, sending the painting to the museum and the books back to the library. It would raise questions. But he wanted others to know about the prophesy, and knowing his father's work was in a museum made his heart swell with pride.

He walked out of the art room, through the family room, through his parent's bedroom, and into what used to be his room. He paused again, taking in the smell of baby powder. He reached over the crib again, and took out the stuffed phoenix. He smiled slightly. _'A phoenix. What a coincidence.'_

He glanced at the toy bin, but decided to leave it for another day. He pulled open each of the drawers in the room to find only various articles of baby clothes. He opened the closet, empty of clothing because they didn't make hangers that small. But there was something in the bottom. It was a frame, to a painting.

He pulled it out and turned it around. He was looking at himself, over thirteen years ago, sound asleep in this very crib. It was the best painting he had ever seen. He wasn't a very good art critic, but this topped anything, easily. It was so life like, so true, that he had to touch it to check that it was flat. 

And as he watched, his mouth falling open, the baby Harry moved. Not much, but he turned slightly and clenched his small fist.

His father had brought it to life. _"Maybe I will try while you are sleeping."_

He looked at the dresser, and what he hadn't noticed before, was the hammer and nail sitting there. His parents must have bee in the process of hanging it when Dumbledore had contacted them. He could almost see it in his mind.

His father, standing by the wall pointing to a spot. Harry as a baby standing in his crib, watching his father. His mother standing behind the crib, telling James up, down, to the left. A nail hanging from his mouth and a hammer in his left hand as he used his right index finger to point to the spot on the wall. The closet door open, the painting leaning against the closet door frame.

"Right there James," Lily would say.

"Here? Are you sure this time?" James asks through the nail he is holding in his mouth.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"What about you Harry, what do you think?" Baby Harry laughing and clapping at hearing James say his name. "Alright, here it is." He marks the spot with a blue ball point pen, then takes the nail out and puts it on the chosen spot.

Then, something. I ring, a bang, a light, or maybe the appearance of Fawlks. Something to tell them the time is now. James lowers his arms and turns to look at Lily. They stare at each other for a moment, Lily has tears welling up in her eyes. Little Harry senses something is wrong.

"Well," James says with forced cheerfulness. "This'll have to wait until we get back." He sets the nail and hammer on the dresser, and the painting in the closet, closing the closet door.

Lily picks Harry up out of the crib, and in their haste, they both forget Leeka.

Harry blinked the tears out of his own eyes. Picking up the nail and hammer, he tried to figure out where on the wall his parents would have put it. His eye caught a mark, in blue ink. Harry shivered slightly, memories he couldn't even really be having haunting him. He put the nail on the spot, and using the hammer he hit it into the wall.

Blowing the layer of dust off of the painting, he carefully hung it up on the wall. The baby in the picture smiled slightly and shifted in his sleep.

With a small sad smile, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

He stood in what used to be his parents' room trying to memorize the smell before it would be replaced with his own. He walked over to the dresser, and opened any random drawer. The first that he tried was empty. The second was full of hair ties. The third he opened, was surprising filled to the top with pens. Blue ball point pens. He shivered again.

Grinning he picked one up, and looked at it. He pushed it into his pocket, then turned to his father's wardrobe. He knew exactly what he was looking for. In one of the small drawers, was a pair of socks. They were red, faded with age. His father's lucky Quidditch socks. The last match of the year was coming up, for the cup. Harry would take any luck he could get.

Pushing these into his pocket too, he suddenly realized how very tired he was. It was at least two in the morning, and he planned on going to class the next morning. Setting his internal clock for five hours, he fell sideways and was asleep before he hit his parent's bed. 

Ginny walked into breakfast, and checked her watch. "Are you sure he'sss coming back today?"

"I thought so," Ginny whispered. She fell into her seat across from Hermione, the one next to her very empty. She was glad she was facing the door, so she didn't have to turn around every time it opened.

She hardly touched her breakfast, and Ron and Hermione for once didn't comment on how thin she was. They knew what was bothering her.

"Sal," Ginny said after a while, "he's going to be the death of me."

Sally chuckled. "Wouldn't sssurprissse me. If anything happened to him, you'd probably jussst keel right over."

Ginny made a fake swipe at her, smiling again. Sally had a way of cheering her up. "Here he comesss," Sally said suddenly.

Ginny just barely kept from jumping out of her seat. The door to the hall opened, and sure enough there was Harry. Nobody noticed at first, but as he set out across the hall to his seat whispers broke out all over the hall. 

"There he is!"

"Wonder where he went?"

"Do you think he really killed something?"

Ginny smiled slightly at him. He plopped down into his seat, and wrinkled his nose at the food. "I hate runny eggs. Why do they always have to be runny?"

Ron, apparently, didn't catch the hint. "Where've you been, Harry? Everybody's been near tearing their hair out trying to figure it out."

Harry reached down into his pocket, and pulled out a small red stuffed phoenix. He set it down on the table, and grinned at Ginny.

She covered her mouth with her hand. "What a coincidence."

"That's what I thought," he responded. "It's name is Leeka."

Ginny's hand did very little to hold back her laughter. "I don't want to know."

"Good, cause I don't know."

"Wait, lemme get this straight," Ron said looking at the bird. "You've been gone for the past five days to get a stuffed phoenix."

Harry nodded. "Exactly."

Ron stared at him. "I give up! I really do!" Harry grinned again and re-pocketed the animal. 

"Well, as I hate runny eggs, I'm going to run up to the dorm and pick up my books. See you in class. And Rose," he paused.

"What?"

"Thanks, just, thanks."

Ginny watched him walk away, slightly confused. 

Harry found that it wasn't really quite so hard to make up the work he had missed. He was sleeping better, and the days seemed to get longer. Finals were coming, and he found he had enough energy in the evenings to study, practice Quidditch, and even have a class with Sirius. 

Now that he understood what the block was, he used it to his advantage. He had already put a hole in it, from reaching through the block so often. That power came easily now, along with his natural power. But Advanced Transfiguration, Advanced Curses, and Advanced Charms all required more power then his fourteen year old body could supply now. But if he reached through the block a little, he could do anything above and beyond the seventh years. Hermione was very impressed with him in Advanced Transfiguration and Advanced Charms, and Harry was glad she wasn't in Advanced Curses. She was trying to figure out why his power was growing so quickly at such a young age. If she were to see him in Advanced Curses, she would make a project out of it.

School work was no longer the problem that he was having. It was now something old that had returned ten fold.

This _feeling _about Ginny. 

They were sitting in the common room. Ron and Harry were playing chess against Hermione and Ginny. It was becoming quite a game, to the point that they had developed and audience. 

Harry didn't say much, Ron being the better player. Hermione seemed to be doing the same thing to Ginny. Years of practice against Ron had made Ginny a stunning player herself. 

Harry studied the board, trying to figure out what the girls would do for their next move. However, he kept glancing up at Ginny. That feeling was back. It was stronger now that his feeling about the chamber was gone. 

__

"I don't know why I think this, but when I get these feelings, they are always right." That was what his father had said. _'Possible that I get the same feelings? Wouldn't that be a laugh if You'll-kick-the-bucket-tomorrow found out. 'Mr. Potter, you're having premonitions? You must come back to my class!' Are they premonitions? The one about the chamber was right. It would forever change my life, both for the good and bad.'_

He tried to focus on the game. Rather then look at how he and Ron could win, Harry tied to focus on how the girls could win. Suddenly, he spotted their plan, and Ron was playing right into it.

"Ron, maybe we should-"

"Trust me Harry, I know what I'm doing."

"But Ron, that pawn."

"It's okay Harry."

Ginny looked up and Harry. She rolled her eyes at Ron, the winked at Harry, the made her move.

Harry blinked at Ginny. Ron blinked at the board. "Bloody hell!"

"No Ron," George said seriously, "we are not at home."

"They've got you good there though," Fred put in.

"They've bloody beat us, Harry!"

"He tried to tell you," Ginny said with a smile. "It was a good game."

Harry watched Ginny. When she winked, that feeling. It had hit hard. What was it? He had to know.

Harry pulled on the faded red socks, and couldn't help but grin. They had a practice tonight. They were heading right for the cup, he could feel it. As he tied his shoes, there was a knock at his door.

"It's open!"

"Ready?" Ginny asked, walking in with her Lightningbolt slung over her shoulder.

"Almost."

"Nice socks," she said with a grin. 

"Dad's. His lucky Quidditch socks. Won the cup Six time with them."

"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult them. Really, they're very-"

"Ugly," Harry interrupted with a grin at Ginny. "I know that. You didn't insult them. Why are you so afraid I'm going to get mad at you. Didn't I tell you before that I would never be mad at you?"

She smiled. "They're hideous."

Harry's face fell. "Well they aren't that bad. They're just socks, they didn't do anything to you. Plus, they're my dad's."

"H-Harry I, I"

Harry started laughing. "You're so easy!"

"Harry Potter! I'm going to wipe the grass with your ass on that Quidditch field. Hear me? I want a one on one match. Now MARCH!"

Harry saluted her and with a grin marched out of the room. On his way past, she smacked his bottom with her broom.

As they walked out of the common room, Harry's grin faded. That feeling, stronger right now. 

When they reached the locker room, instead of Harry standing to give the usual pep talk, Ginny pushed him onto the bench and walked to the front of the room. "We are going to practice, but first Mr. Potter has to go one on one with me as punishment for baiting me.

Fred and George grinned at Harry. "You're dead meat, Captain. She's going into one of her Ginny moods."

"She can be just as fiery as her hair when she want's to be."

"I don't know, I think I can take her," Harry said with a grin. "I have my lucky socks on."

"Is that so Mr. Potter?" Ginny asked. "Well you and your _hideous_ socks can get out on that field."

Harry stood and bowed. "After you milady."

As she walked out the door, Harry hit Ginny's bottom with his broom stick.

He really hoped the rush of flying would push this other feeling away, or Ginny was going to cream him. 

"What's the game, Rose?"

"That's Miss. Weasley to you. I want to beat you at your own game. Snitches."

"Snitches?" he asked. There was no way she would win.

"Yes. Let's go." She took off. The rest of the team was already in the stands, and all of them were cheering for Ginny. 

"My own team has turned on me. I hope you know this means extra practices!" he shouted at them. Suddenly the "Ginny! Ginny!" turned into "Harry! Harry!" but then right back to "Ginny! Ginny!"

Ginny was letting the snitch out. It disappeared immediately.

Harry shook his head. There was no way her would ever understand her. The feeling hadn't gone away, if anything it had only gotten worse. Not knowing was driving him crazy.

Just a few minutes later, Harry spotted the snitch, and just like the game in second year against Slytherin, it was right behind Ginny.

Quickly, but trying not to look like he was in a hurry, Harry flew toward Ginny. "Rose, you know, I've been thinking. We really-" He was close. He flew up beside her. "We really need to hurry this up so-" he reached out and grabbed it, and held it in front of her. Her eyes widened. "So the rest of the team can practice," he finished. 

Ginny grinned, and reached out and grabbed Harry ear. Despite Harry's protests, she pulled him over to the rest of the team.

"Mr. Potter thinks that because he has caught the snitch, he has won. Can anybody tell me why he is mistaken?"

Both Fred and George raised their hands.

Harry was confused.

"Anybody?" Ginny asked. Fred and George swung their hands around a little more. "Nobody? Oh well. The reason why you lose, Mr. Potter, is that your socks, are still hideous."

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie cracked up. Harry just looked at Ginny as she grinned at him. "You know you're going to have to pay, right?" Ginny nodded. "Well then, I'll give you about a three second head start. One, three!"

With a scream, Ginny jumped on her broom and fled from Harry, as he chased her. Suddenly, he remembered the last time they did this, and what had happened. Throwing on a burst of speed that had nothing to do with the game, he grabbed her around the middle and pulled her to a stop.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Suddenly he felt very foolish. "N- nothing, it's just, I remembered the last time I chased you, and you almost fell in the fire. I didn't want you to fall off your broom or something."

Ginny smiled. "Thanks then. Your socks are still ugly."

The feeling, was almost engulfing him. "Oh yeah? Well when we win the cup you'll asking to kiss those ugly socks."

Ginny walked into potions. She threw a smile at Snape, something she did every day. "He alwaysss feelsss pain when you sssmile at him Rossse. Maybe you shouldn't."

"It's good for him," Ginny responded, falling into her chair.

The Hufflepuffs arrived a few minutes later, and Snape started to lecture them on what they would need to study for the finals coming up. After a while, he partnered them up and started them on a potion. Ginny mentally groaned. She gotten a member of her own house, and worse, Samantha.

As a rule, the girls of her dorm did not like her. This was for a number of reasons. In her first year, it was because she was strange, and never talked to them. In her second year, it was because they had found out what was going on in her first year. Also, one of the girls, Marine, had a crush on Bill, who everybody knew liked Ginny.

This year, it was because Samantha, the leader of the three girls, like Harry. And Ginny was friends with Harry, while Samantha was afraid to talk to him. Out of the three, Marine, Meredith, and Samantha, Meredith was by far the nicest. 

"Hello Tulip." Ginny rolled her eyes at the wall. It was common for them to make fun of her nickname.

"Whoa," Sally said looking at Samantha. "Talk about jealousss. Rossse watch it, she wantsss sssomething you have, bad."

"Yeah, I know," Ginny said to Sally as she gathered her ingredients. "Bear."

Sally grinned, and looked back at Samantha. She hissed at the girl, and Samantha jumped. "Sal," Ginny warned with a mental smile. "You know better. Just because Harry isn't here doesn't mean you can go biting people you don't like."

Sally hissed at Ginny again. "I don't care if she gives you a bad feeling." Sally hissed again. "I don't care if you don't like the way she smells. Leave her alone."

"I- I'm going to go get the rest of the stuff!" Samantha said before running to the supply closet. Ginny and Sally started laughing.

"Is something going on here?" asked Snape.

"No Professor," Ginny said with a large smile. 

Snape's eyebrows lowered, but her turned and walked away. "Thanks Sal, you're the best. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sally pushed the newt tails they needed toward her. "You'd find sssome other sssnake and replace me. One with lessssss an attitude."

"Well, less an attitude would be nice."

"Can't kid with me, Rossse, I know when you are."

"You're no fun."

Sally made the experience of being paired with Samantha a lot less hard. They were about halfway through the class before another incident occurred.

Sally was around Ginny's neck, and she was adding the frog legs. She plopped them in all at once so she wouldn't have to look at them for too long. She had to drink this? 

Suddenly, there was an explosion on the other side of the room, and blue smoke started to pour out of a cauldron so fast that the entire room was filled with it in a matter of seconds.

Ginny heard a word whispered behind her, and suddenly, her voice was gone. She couldn't scream as her hands were bound behind her back. She swung and kicked as she was pulled through one of the tiny windows at the top of the room that only showed the ground.

Harry was out in the clearing again. He was practicing his sword, something he hadn't done in a while, and found that he needed the practice. He'd come under the invisibility cloak, not wanting to be found.

But the sword was only one of the reasons that Harry was outside. There were a few others. For one, this was his class when he was supposed to have his class with Sirius, and he didn't feel like it today. For another, Ron and Hermione were taking their parenting final.

He groaned at the memory. The test was, to receive a magical baby, complete with life like functions, and with a partner, raise it for a whole week. Of coarse, Ron and Hermione had been chosen as partners. This, of coarse, right after they had 'broken up' for the eight hundredth time. Hermione of coarse, was set on doing everything right. Ron, on the other hand, wanted to take the baby flying. The result; a lot a yelling, a lot of crying baby dolls, and no sleep for Harry. 

But the biggest reason that Harry was out here was that practicing with the sword took very little thought, and he needed a chance to think. Sally wouldn't help. _"Harry, if not knowing isss bothering you ssso much, then go figure it out."_ So here he was.

What was wrong with Ginny? 

__

'Or is something wrong with me? Why does it happen in waves. Why do I get this weird feeling that something isn't right, even though it isn't wrong? Why is there always something wrong?'

Right foot out, twist with left foot, hit with broad side to right of enemy's head. Only kill when necessary. 

__

'Okay, narrow down when_ it happens. That night on the tower, when we were just laying there. It wasn't this strong before. As soon as the feeling with the tower disappeared, it got worse.'_

Left foot back, left knee down, swing right leg, slash up slightly to the left.

__

'When nobody is talking. In that slight lull in conversations that humans have so our brains can catch up too our mouths. Then, it happens. That feeling comes. No, it's always there, it just gets stronger.'

Enemy to the right, left, and behind. Behind first, can't look over shoulder. Left next, weak side. Right, hardest to hit, comes last. 

__

'When else? When we're flying. And she makes a great save, and the team claps, because we're going to win the cup, and she smiles. Then. Something not right, not wrong, just not, finished.'

Can't see out of the back of your head. Back to the tree. Enemies on every side. Don't hit the closest, hit the fastest. 

__

'Something not finished, incomplete. Not just her thought, me too. Something about both of us, that isn't finished. What? The chamber, is finished. The prophesy, is as finished as it can get.'

The tree is alive. Not after you, enemy's after the tree. Guard. Block. Necessary becomes more often when a life besides your own is involved.

__

'Could it be Quidditch? Training not finished? No! I'm getting off the subject. That's not all the feeling is, only part of it. The other, pain. But not mine, hers. And it's my fault. Why?'

One on one. Predict the movements. Block first, attack when able. Goal is not death, goal is life. 

__

'What did I do to her? She's in pain, because of something that I did to her that isn't finished. Maybe it's not that it isn't finished, but rather, incomplete? Half, it's only half, and my fault.'

Slow down, conserve energy. Numerous enemies. Uncounted. Take one at a time if possible.

__

'Only half of it is there. The other half is missing, and it's my fault, and because the other half is missing, she's in pain. I'm not giving her something. Half of it. My part. She needs.'

Disarming. No death. Predict the movement, aim. Quickly, don't leave yourself open for a hit. Throw the weapon out of reach.

__

'What is she giving, that I'm not. Help. She's always helping me, and I don't help her as much. Is that it? My half of the help? No, but yes. Our friendship-"

Stop. Still. Lack of movement.

Words echoed in his head. _"You are the best, bravest, kindest, most loyal, most loving person I know. Never scare me like that. Making me think you went off the deep end. Don't do that again."_

Looking into her brown eyes, seeing fear and pain. Wanting nothing more then to stop that pain. _"You're my best friend Harry." _

'Is it that? How close we've become? Maybe-'

A pulling interrupted his thoughts. He recognized it immediately. Sally needed him. He sheathed the sword, and grabbed the cloak. Then stopped. That wasn't all he felt. Something else, pulling at him with a need. The same pulling, but not from Sally. Instead it was coming through Sally. A bond Harry had because of a bond Sally had.

__

'GINNY!' He threw the cloak over himself and started to run.

__

(A/N: Only two or three (hopefully three so we make it an even 40) chapters till the end. So, will Harry EVER realize what this 'feeling' is? Wait and see! And PLEASE review. I'm really bummed that Gryffindortower.net didn't want me, and all the positive feedback you guys give helps a lot.)


	38. Moment of Truth

Disclaimer- Dare to Dream Words and music by- Paul Begaud, Vanessa Cerish, and Wayne Tester. Arranged by- Teena Chinn. Author of this fanfiction takes no credit for this song. She simply sang it in school and found that it fit the story. No money is being made from the printing of these lyrics.

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(A/N: Did I ever tell you guys you are the best? Somebody did, well, something. Gryffindortower.net just wrote me and said that whatever happened was a mistake and that they would be glad to post my story. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks for being so supportive and the best fans EVER! One more chapter to go! This isn't edited, but it's out.) 

Chapter 38

Moment of Truth

It was unlike the pull that he had often felt from Sally. This was more, and then on the other side, was Ginny, pulling at him even harder. He ran out of the forest, and then stopped. 

There was a direction to the pull, yes. But it wasn't toward the school. It was back into the forest. He ran under the invisibility cloak along the edge of the forest until the pulling was directly in front of him. Then he stopped, breathing hard, and looked around.

To his right, there was a small path. He would have never seen it had he not been looking. He followed it, and as he got farther into the forest the path became wider and more obvious.

__

'I'm so stupid! This is right where Wormtail was heading when he took Randy! I should have known he'd be dumb enough to follow the same path. I should have followed him. I should have- What if he disappears after he's off school grounds? Ginny...

He put on another burst of speed. Making up his mind in a heart beat, he tried something that he had only read as a theory in his text books. He pulled slightly on his magical energy, and applied it to his body. He sped up, faster then he had ever been able to run before. Breathing became easier. His body wasn't depending on oxygen as much, now it had magic to help it run. It could possibly kill him, but no, nothing could. Only the one he was running toward.

She wanted to scream. She knew she was too far away by now for it to do any good, but just hearing her own voice would have been nice. She was alone with a mad man. They were moving, but it wasn't walking. They were doing something much faster. 

"Ginny," she heard a whisper.

Her frantic mind called out, and she started to struggle with a new fury. Somebody was here, could help her.

"Ssstop moving you'll knock me off," came the whisper. It took her mind a moment to identify Sally.

It was a comfort. She knew there was absolutely nothing that Sally could do. But Sally was there. Tears of joy leaked out of her eyes.

Sally read carefully as relief washed through Ginny and replaced the fear. When she was afraid, Sally was unable to help shape her emotions. Now that relief replaced the fear, Sally replaced some of the relief with calm.

"Ginny, Harry knowsss. He knowsss we are in trouble. Maybe he will get help."

Hope raised in Ginny. She wanted to tell Sally that she loved her, but her voice was gone. But Sally didn't need words.

"I know you love me Rossse, now ssstop before you get me upssset and we both lossse it. Thisss would be Wormtail? Then I can guessssss where we are going. Voldemort isss a Parseltongue isss he not?" Ginny did her best to nod. "Then I need to hide, okay?"

Sally went down the collar of Ginny's robes and around her arm, hidden by the sleeve. There was no reason to give up yet.

As he ran, time became unimportant. He might have been running for an hour, he might have only been running five minutes. It didn't matter. All that mattered was speed, and following the pull. Despite he was running much faster then a normal person could, he wasn't closing any distance between himself and the pulling need.

~*~*~

__

I am my own believer, in my heart the reason.

Now I follow the light from within.

~*~*~

A funny thing was happening to the pull. As it grew harder, he was becoming more aware of Ginny, not through Sally, but just as Ginny. And as he became more aware, he started to know how she was feeling. There was fear, she was afraid, but not panicking. There was love, mirrored by what he felt from Sally. There was hope in both of them. The entire thing was just like a light burning in his heart. He could have ignored it, but to do so was to kill himself inside. 

He ran, concentrating on where to put his foot next. And the faster he ran, the more concentration that small task took. But he was hopeful, because the pull hadn't suddenly disappeared and gotten much father away.

__

'I'm and idiot. They were in a forest. They wanted to move closer to me. Peter ran toward the forest. It all adds up, and I didn't see it. And now they have Ginny. If I have to carve her name on that damn rock...'

This thought inspired a new burst of speed. He tried to still his thoughts, only concentrate on the next step. When he thought, the things that popped into his head were never good. 

They were slowing down. They were stopping. She couldn't see for a moment, her head hadn't adjusted to the decrease in speed and the position she was in. As things came into focus, she saw a clearing. There was nobody around, nobody visible, but a sense of many who had done horrible things hung in the air. 

She was jerked upright and set on her feet. Her vision was lost again for a moment. There was another word spoken above her, and she felt her voice return.

"You've made a big mistake, Peter!" she yelled. "You lived in my house since I was born and you don't recognize me? A Weasley, Peter! Harry's going to notice if I'm missing. He'll find me!"

She was dropped suddenly. She looked up at the little man who had lived in her home under the cover of a rat. She was disgusted. He looked at her, and she glared, and he suddenly looked nervous.

He twitched and kept rubbing his cheek in a way that reminded her of scratching whiskers. He glanced at her, at the path they had just come down, and at another path. He seemed to be unable to decide. Finally he walked forward and grabbed her under her arm again, and started to walk towards the path they had just came down. 

Triumph blossomed in her heart. Then she heard the voice. It wasn't human, in couldn't be, but was still oddly familiar. 

"Is that you Wormtail?"

"Yes Master!" the little man squeaked, turning around again and dragging Ginny past a fire ring and a very high backed chair toward a rectangle marked on the ground with what looked like white chalk. He pushed her into this white rectangle, then turned away.

"Did you bring one?"

"Yes Master," Peter said, glancing at Ginny. 

She tried to stand, but she hit her head on something solid. A clear solid box. 

Peter's beady black eyes were watching something that was coming down the path. Ginny turned to look too, as Voldemort came into view.

It was very obviously not Tom Riddle's body, but then again, it didn't have to be. It was however, a person who looked somewhat like Tom. Same black hair. She shivered. His eyes were Harry's eyes, bright green. But there was a hate in those eyes that could never be present in Harry's. He turned to look at her. 

"This is the one, Wormtail? Well, my my, doesn't she look familiar?" Voldemort walked over to the clear box, and surprising Ginny, reached right through it, pulling her up closer to him "Do you have any idea why I'm going to enjoy killing you?"

Anger filled Ginny, replacing any fear she had. "Because I look like Lily Potter."

It was the first emotion besides hate that had probably ever been seen in those green eyes. Surprise. He dropped her again. "What is it, Tom? Surprised I know? Don't think I'd know my best friend's mother's name? Didn't know Harry was my best friend?"

Peter looked just about ready to pee himself. Voldemort however, smirked. "Let's see, I remember this one. Yes, Harry Potter knows me, he's going to come to get me, he'll save me. I'm from Hogwarts, Dumbledore will get you. I've heard it all." He looked up through the tree line. "At dark, we'll see what you have to say." 

With that, Voldemort walked back down the path that he had come. Peter collapsed to the ground. With fury in his eyes, he stood up and walked over to where   
Ginny sat "Listen here, you little Weasley brat. I'd put another silencing spell on you, but the Master likes to hear you scream. But you will keep your little mouth shut if you know what's good for you." His head was through the solid boundary that she couldn't pass. She spit in his face. Had her arms not still been bound behind her back, she would have hit him.

He growled and reached for her. "No, no. Wouldn't want your master's prize damaged would you?" With a glare, he turned away.

"So, Peter, Wormtail, whatever. What made you turn? I'm planning on writing a book someday, and you know, this is important dirt." The little man didn't reply. "Oh, come on. I hear your mother was very smothering. You also didn't measure up much to Sirius, James, and Remus. That helped, I'm sure. Plus, you're just a rat."

"Shut up!"

"You might want to lisssten to him Rossse. We need to plan how to get out of here," Sally whispered from inside Ginny's sleeve.

With a sigh, Ginny leaned up against the clear box. She was suddenly very tired, very lonely, and very upset. Tears formed in her eyes, but she held the sobs back, not wanting to give Wormtail that satisfaction. 

He was close, so he slowed down. He could feel more now. Not only Ginny and Sally, but the presence of the only other descendent of one of the founders. Voldemort. He moved off the path, keeping it in sight and moving much slower to keep from making noise in the leaves. 

~*~*~

__

I'm not afraid of weakness.

I'm gonna taste the sweetness, 

Of the power not to give it.

~*~*~

He could feel his body, what it would have been like if he hadn't been supplying it with another source of energy. It didn't matter, he wasn't going to stop. He could fall over and have to crawl and he still wouldn't stop.

Before too much longer, he could see into a clearing. There was a large chair in the middle, in front of a stone fire ring. On the other side of the clearing, sat Ginny. She was on the ground, her back to Harry, leaning against something invisible, her hands tied behind her back and her head resting on her knee.

Slowly, but more importantly, very quietly, Harry moved around the edge of the clearing. After what seemed like hours, he was in front of her. He could see streaks down her cheeks left from tears, and an odd shaped lump in her sleeve that was most likely Sally.

Wormtail walked back into the clearing, muttering to himself. Harry was faced with a problem. How to let Ginny know he was here without alerting Wormtail to the same thing.

This was solved for him. Ginny sat up quickly with a gasp, her chin pressing something to her chest. _'The necklace. She always knows when I'm here.'_

Slowly, he crept out of the trees, hidden under the cover of the invisibility cloak. There was a white rectangle on the ground, and he assumed that was the invisible boundary. To check, careful not to let the cloak come open, he reached out to touch it. His hand went right through. _"It was invisible. Anybody else could walk through it and out of it, but it was solid to me."_

He walked right through the cage, and slowly reached out to touch Ginny's arm. She jumped at first, but she knew it was him. He reached carefully around her to untie her hands. As soon as she was free, she threw her arms around him.

"Harry," she just barely whispered. "You have to leave. You're not safe here."

~*~*~

__

Oh, I will see it through.

I believe this is my moment of truth.

~*~*~

"And you are?" he whispered back. "I'm going to get you out of here. I promise. Just hold on."

Harry let her go, and turned to the white line on the ground. This had to be some kind of variation of the spell that he had done earlier in the year. He just had to figure out how to turn it off.

"Harry!" came Ginny's frantic whisper. "Here he comes! Go, hurry!"

"Wormtail!"

"Y-yes master?"

"There is something wrong here. Something with Potter. Are you sure this girl is not from Hogwarts?"

~*~*~

__

Dare to dream.

~*~*~

"Distract them," Harry whispered. He had an idea.

"I told you I am from Hogwarts!" Ginny shouted. "Peter's been taking students for a long time now."

Voldemort turned his green eyes from Ginny back to Peter. "Is this so? Have you been disobeying me? Did you not think I would find out? What makes you think that I can't do to you what I've done to every brat that came in here? There isn't much difference between a brat and a rat."

~*~*~

__

Dare to fly.

~*~*~

Voldemort jerked suddenly, turning around quickly. The white rectangle faded. "Shit," Harry whispered. "I blasted the spell back at the caster. I didn't think he would have cast it himself."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and an evil smirk came across his face. "Harry Potter, do take off that cloak for me. It isn't polite you know."

"Harry, Harry run. He can turn you, remember what Sirius said? Go, please."

~*~*~

__

Dare to be the heir, the chosen one to touch the sky.

~*~*~

"No Rose," Harry said pulling off the cloak. "I promised you." Harry glanced at Voldemort, then back at Ginny's scared eyes. He reached behind his neck. For the first time since that faithful day in Ginny's room over the summer, he took off the chain that held his mother's ring.

~*~*~

__

Dare to reach.

~*~*~

"Rose, I want you to hold this until I get back, okay?" He handed the necklace to her, then stood up again. The sword suddenly felt very warm on his back. "Tom."

~*~*~

__

Dare to rise.

~*~*~

"Potter, what a surprise. I hadn't planned to kill you for, oh another two weeks at least. But I guess I could make an exception since you're here and all. I'll deal with you later," Voldemort said with a glare at Peter.

"What do you want this time, Tom?"

"Tom is dead. What do I want? Why, to purify the world, Harry Potter. Noble cause, don't you think? Once you are dead, the fall of Wizards as a whole reverses. We'll kill off the muggles, and rule the world."

~*~*~

__

Find the strength to set my sprit free.

~*~*~

"I know it all now, Tom. It won't work that way, and you know it. You don't get the gifts if I die, your child does."

"But that, Mr. Potter, is where you are wrong. First born with three lines down. Ever heard of rebirth? It requires very little magic, actually. I keep my mind, and I am reborn. Being the first born with three lines down, I get the gifts of the founders, and win the Descendant's War."

Harry walked slightly to the left. If anything, he had to get away from Ginny. "But Potter, before I kill you, there is something you took from me that I want back."

Harry was confused. Did he mean the Stone? He didn't have it to give back. "You look confused my young friend. Oh, how rude of me. Not offering my guest a place to sit. Do sit down, I insist." Harry was being lifted. He was pulled over to the chair in the middle of the clearing. As he was in the air, his wand flew out of his sleeve, and despite his attempts to grab it, into Voldemort's pocket. Well, at least he was away from Ginny. 

"Do you really not know? Do you know why you are able to talk to that snake up your friend's sleeve over there?"

~*~*~

__

I will go the distance, embrace resistance.

~*~*~

"This is the most uncomfortable piece of shit I ever set my bum on," Harry said by way of an answer. 

"You see Potter," Voldemort went on pretending not to hear Harry. "When that spell backfired, not only did you send it back to me, but you also stole almost all my power. Parseltongue, one of my most prized gifts, lies with you now. Also, my ability to turn into a snake is gone. When I drain a victim, I don't get back my powers, I get theirs. But if I were to drain you, Potter, I would get my gifts, plus yours."

"I can't turn into a snake, Tom."

"I think you can. You see, what is it you call it, that little block of yours? Well, my theory is that when you stole my powers, some of them were put behind that block. Just a theory, mind."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Great, just great. So now, in a few years, not only will I turn into a lion, but a snake too. Life's a bitch. You were right though Rose! I'm really proud of you!"

"Enough of the games," Voldemort said with a growl.

~*~*~

__

I will lay my soul on the line.

~*~*~

"You're completely insane Tom. I'd swear you lose a little bit more of your mind every year. You know, I'd really like to get out of this damn chair. I don't know how you can stand it. Would you kindly let me go?"

"Out of the chair? I can do that." Harry was suddenly being lifted again. But this time, instead of being pushed into a chair, he was pushed flat out on the ground.

~*~*~

__

And when the wait is over,

~*~*~

"Do you know what pain is, Potter? Pain is an emotion. Nothing about pain is evil, bad, or dark, as you all like to put it. Do you know how I learned this?"

~*~*~

__

And the hunger is spoken,

~*~*~

"No Tom, enlighten me." Harry grunted as he was pushed harder into the ground.

"I wasn't too much younger then you. My mother was a descendant, and her protection was lost when I was born, and she died. Not from my birth, no. From a sickness that had chased her, right up to her death. My dirty Muggle father wanted nothing to do with me. I grew up in a Muggle orphanage."

~*~*~

__

If I see it through I will shine.

~*~*~

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before from that lovely diary you left. Blah, blah, move on."

Harry couldn't see Voldemort, but he could hear the monster's smirk in his voice. "Talking back. That was it most of the time. I didn't like to take shit from them. Do you know what the punishment was back then?"

Harry was silent this time. He didn't want to push his luck too far. There was a sharp crack behind him, and it sounded way too much like a whip for his comfort. Ginny screamed.

~*~*~

__

Oh, I will see it through.

~*~*~

"Rose, what the hell are you still here for? Go back. Do I have to spell it out for you. G. O. NOW."

"No, Harry, not without you! I'm right behind you, remember?"

~*~*~

__

I believe this is my moment of truth.

~*~*~

There was another sharp crack, and a string of sharp pain when down Harry's back. Ginny screamed again. Harry pushed his face into the dirt.

The whip came again. And again. Harry didn't know he was screaming, but by the state of his throat he must have been. He was more aware of Ginny's screams and cries then his own. 

~*~*~

__

Dare to dream.

~*~*~

He didn't realize that the whip had stopped at first, because the pain was just as intense. His robe had long since fallen off, leaving him in his pants. His back was wet with blood. He wasn't being held to the ground. But he didn't stand.

"Girl, here." Ginny was dragged, kicking and screaming, over close to where Harry laid. She moved toward him, but was held back by an invisible force.

~*~*~

__

Dare to fly.

~*~*~

"Look up Potter." Harry didn't move. It wasn't that he couldn't, if he really wanted to he could have looked at Ginny. But he didn't want to see. "I said look up." He head moved on it's own, sending more pain down his back. 

"She's a very pretty girl, Potter. She looks astonishingly like your mother. Not hard to figure out why you like her so much. In fact, if she weren't so important to you, I'd keep her around for a few days."

Harry's breath came in pants and his voice has hoarse from the screaming. "Fuck. You. Tom."

"Tom is dead Potter. I killed him myself."

~*~*~

__

Dare to be the heir, the chosen one to touch the sky.

~*~*~

"When was that?" Harry asked. "Was it when, you killed the, one you loved. Pain is just, and emotion. So is love. But not, for us. For us it's, a bond. And you broke yours, yourself. Didn't you? That's when, Tom died. When you, killed her."

~*~*~

__

Dare to reach

~*~*~

Harry was flung suddenly against a tree, his back sliding down the bark on the trunk. He yelled out. Sally suddenly came out of Ginny's robes and shot across the clearing. Harry felt as some of the pain started to leave. Not fade, just cut off.

"Let's get this done now." Ginny was raised into the air, and Voldemort raised his wand. 

Time slowed down. Sound stopped. 

~*~*~

__

Dare to rise 

~*~*~

Harry shoved off of the tree, shoving magic into his body for speed, and flung across the clearing. He watched as Voldemort's lips moved, forming the word _Axynovit. _ He saw as the spell traveled down the wand. He watched in horror as Ginny's mouth opened in a scream. 

~*~*~

__

Find the strength to set my sprit free.

~*~*~

As the spell came toward her, Harry jumped in front of it.

The spell hit him in the chest, but it didn't stop there. It went through him, and hit Ginny just below the neck. Harry collapsed to the ground, Ginny was thrown back.

She felt as the spell hit her, as she traveled backwards toward the tree. She felt the spell stop, and she knew that in a moment it would dispense into the air. Not knowing exactly how, she shoved it away, back at Voldemort.

There was a flash of light, but still now sound. Even her own screams hadn't penetrated Ginny's mind yet. The white light engulfed Voldemort. The body he was living in, who's ever in might have been, started to evaporate. Then, it was gone, and a shimmer, a reflection, that any other person would pass of as a trick of sunlight, escaped into the forest.

Ginny hit the tree, and fell forward, catching herself only on instinct.

"Harry!" She crawled towards him, and reached him at the same time as Sally.

"Sally, is he, is he?"

"He's alive."

"Oh thank God." Ginny pulled him up into a hug. "Harry, wake up. It's over. He's gone, and Wormtail is too. Wake up."

"Rose," Harry croaked. "That hurts. My back." She let go quickly, and Harry fell back down onto the ground with a hiss of pain. "My wand."

Ginny stood up and walked over to where Voldemort had once stood. "It's here." She pocketed it. "Can you stand? Walk?"

"Hold on a second. It didn't kill me before." Harry taped into his magic again, and poured it through his body. The pain didn't stop, but he had enough energy to stand, and walk.

The trip back was a blur to Harry. His magic would run out soon, and need to recharge. Sally was on Ginny's ankle, and Ginny was holding her arm. She wasn't sure when it had broken, or if it really was, but it certainly felt like it.

As they neared the doors, they opened on their own, and a crowd of people, including Dumbledore, and most of the staff poured out.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked quickly.

Harry swallowed before answering. "Found Voldemort. Stopped him for now." And with that, Harry collapsed. That was when everybody saw his back.

"Minny, get Poppy with a stretcher. He's lost a lot of blood, hurry!" 

Ginny looked down at Harry, then at the blood that was all up her arms from hugging him, and fainted. 

"Minny make that two stretchers."

Hermione and Ron came ran out at that point. "Did you find them?" Hermione called. "Did you-" She spotted Harry laying on the ground and screamed.

"Miss. Granger, Harry is going to be fine-"

"Fine? FINE? You can't even see him through the blood. How the hell can he be fine. For the love of God somebody MAKE a stretcher! Are you Wizards or whips! Get him off the ground!"

"Booky, book, come on, calm down."

"Calm down, how the hell can you tell me to calm down! Your best friend and sister are lying there unconscious on the ground and you tell me to calm down!"

With a sigh, Ron wrapped one arm around Hermione to hold her arms down, and used his other hand to cover her mouth. Harry and Ginny were being carefully loaded onto stretchers.


	39. It’s Not Possible

__

(A/N: LAST CHAPTER! Yes, I know there are mistakes. YES I KNOW. I told you, these are not edited, because I'm trying to get them out quickly for you. Ally/Gwen/Bunny/Birdy/Whatever the hell you want to call her, will edit them for me later. Deal until then. You can usually figure out what I'm trying to say. Just be glad they are here. Now, moving on…)

Chapter 39

It's Not Possible

There was a bright white light in Harry's eyes when he woke. At first he thought he was dead. Then he smelled the horrible clean of a hospital, and felt the fresh crispness of the bed sheets. 

He squinted into the light, trying to turn away from it. But moving his head sent a fire of pain down his back. 

"He's awake! Professor he's awake!"

"Miss. Weasley, please-" But attempts to hold Ginny back proved futile. She pulled herself up onto the bed on which Harry laid, and shook his arm.

"Harry, open your eyes."

"It's too bright," he mumbled. Ginny rolled her eyes and held her hand above Harry's head, blocking the light from his eyes. As soon as he opened them, she moved it, causing him to squint again. As he adjusted to the light of the room, she put his glasses on his face, letting things come in to focus for him. "What are you doing?" he asked blinking sleepily. 

"Don't you want to find out what happened? Professor Dumbledore won't talk about it until you are awake too. No, don't move. Trust me. Don't.

"Why n-" Harry tried to sit up, and cried out in pain. "Oh, yeah, that's why."

Dumbledore, who had watched the whole scene with a small smile on his face, finally made his presence known to Harry. "There was a poison on the whip he hit you with, Harry. The cuts cannot be healed with magic. All we can do is give you stuff for the pain and let the body fix itself."

"Right," Harry said closing his eyes. "Figures. Okay. How long have I been asleep? By the state of my muscles and stomach, it had to be a year at least." 

Dumbledore chuckled. "It has been a few days. Your body had to replace the energy you had been magically fueling it with real energy, once you stopped using the magic."

"Hey, it didn't kill me. But then, it can't, can it?" Harry relaxed into the pillow, trying to ignore the pain down his back. "I thought I was dead when I woke. It really wasn't that bad. With the state my back is in, I'm going to wish I was dead over the next few days." Ginny looked at him with concern, but turned her attention back to Dumbledore. 

"Are you two ready to tell me what happened, or would you rather wait Harry?"

"Let her do the talking. She's good at that."

Ginny glared at Harry. "I'd hit you, but it would hurt you more then it should." Harry grinned at her, pushing, for right now at least, that damn feeling out of his head.

"I was in Potions, with Sally. There was an explosion. The room filled with smoke."

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that much I learned from Professor Snape."

"Well, there was a voice behind me, and then my voice was gone. My hands were tied behind my back, and I couldn't move very well. You know those tiny little windows at the very top of the wall? That leads right out to the ground? Well I don't know how, but he went through it, and pulled me through it too."

"By he I am assuming you mean Wormtail?"

"Yeah. I've never seen him before, but he answered to it when I was yelling at him."

Harry looked up. "You were yelling at him? When?"

"Let me get there! Anyway, the next thing I know, we were going down this little path, and we weren't walking, or running. We were going much faster then that."

"I knew it!"

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "And where were you?"

"I was in my little clearing in the woods. I was practicing my sword. I had to get away from Hermione and Ron, and I had to think. Then I felt Sally pulling at me."

"I'm sorry, Harry, but what do you mean?"

Harry blinked. "Oh, I guess I never told you. Sally is my familiar. And Rose's."

Dumbledore's eye's widened. "Are you sure about that? Both of you?"

Harry nodded. "So she always knows if one of us needs her, and we always know if she needs us. Well, I knew she needed me, and I knew she was with Rose. So something had to be wrong. I ran out of the forest, only to find that I was being pulled back into it. That was when I found the path. I was under the invisibility cloak. I started to run, and to figure out what was going on. I was afraid that Peter would disappear. So to go faster, I used magic to give my body energy. I kept running, but I wasn't getting any closer."

Ginny picked right up as soon as Harry stopped. "When we got there, I started to yell at Peter. Telling him I was a Weasley and that Harry would come after me and that Voldemort would find out that he was taking students from Hogwarts. He really looked at me then, and got scared. He picked me up and was going to take me back, but Voldie walked in. So he put me in that box." Ginny shuddered. "The hard part isn't being in a box. Or that it was invisible. The hard part was that when other people could walk right through it, you feel like you're crazy. Like it was only solid to you because you were nuts or something."

"Dark magic. I know the spell now that I think about it." Harry said with closed eyes. "If you're in there for too long, you do go nuts. It plays with your mind."

"And what happened, Miss. Weasley?"

"Well, Voldie went on about how I looked like Lily Potter, and he was surprised that I _knew_ I looked like her. He didn't believe I was from Hogwarts. He's about as dense as, well, as a man. No offense, Professor."

Professor Dumbledore smiled, "None taken."

"I'm offended."

"Harry, the only person that I know who is denser then you is Ron. Anyway, he left, and I tried to talk to Peter, but then gave up on him and talked to Sally, then stopped so Peter wouldn't find her. Then I cried a good bit. Then I sat there. And until Harry showed up, that was how my trip went."

Harry opened his eyes and looked at Ginny. "How in Merlin's name can you be so chipper and perky right after all that?"

"Because right after all that for me was three days ago. And I've been strapped to the bed and fussed over by Madam Pomfrey for those three days, not allowed to do anything for myself, or use any of this energy."

He would never understand her. "I reached the clearing," Harry went on. "Saw Ginny. Then I tried to figure out how to get her out of the box thing. Voldemort can feel me, because we are connected and all that. I can feel him too. He knew I was there, and came out and started to talk to Peter. I figured out what to do with the box, and had Ginny distract them for a minute."

"Then I got to yell some more. Got Peter in some big trouble with his master. He can't go back anymore, Voldie will kill him."

"I blasted the spell that was the box back at the caster. Unfortunately, the caster was Voldemort himself. He felt the spell, then put two and two together, and found me."

"And you wouldn't run away, you moron."

"What, and leave you there? So, we had a little talk, he sat me in his chair, he hit me around. Basically, he played the big bad guy. Then he went after Ginny, and well that kind of upset me. He started the killing curse; I jumped in front of it. I fell down, and it hit and went through me."

They turned to Ginny. Her perky attitude was lost for a moment, she turned and stared at the wall. "Time was slowed down, you know? I knew the spell wasn't going to work, for some reason. I knew it would disappear. So, I flung it back at Voldie. I don't know how I did it, but I just pushed it away. Voldemort's body started to disappear. Well, I guess it wasn't his body, but anyway. Then, what was left of him flew away. Then I woke up Harry, and we walked back."

"You walked back. I don't remember walking back."

"You walked, I didn't carry you."

"And what of Wormtail?" Dumbledore asked.

"Don't know," Harry answered. "He must have fled during the fight. Voldemort was going to kill him."

"But why, Professor?" Ginny asked. "Why did it happen? It's not possible. Why didn't the spell work?"

"I have only my theories, but let me tell you they have been most often right in the past. He wasn't as ready for you as he wanted to be. To save power, when he tried to kill Miss. Weasley, he used a personalized killing spell. Because Mr. Potter jumped in front of it, the spell didn't work. Why it didn't kill Mr. Potter, I have no idea."

"I think I do," Harry said slowly. "Only Voldemort can kill me, for now at least, right?"

"I see you have learned more about yourself. I won't ask how, you can keep that to yourself."

"Thanks. Well, Voldemort lost all his power. The power he had, wasn't his. So maybe that's why it can't kill me. Because it's not his power."

"So he can never kill you?"

Harry shook his head. "If he did it without using magic, did it physically, he could. It's just a theory," he added quickly. "But it's one that makes sense."

Dumbledore nodded. "So," Ginny started. "Voldemort can't touch Harry cause of his mother's sacrifice. Is it the same with me now?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't think so, Miss. Weasley. You see, Mrs. Potter died for Harry. Had he died for you, it would. But he survived, and therefore the protection was only momentary."

Ginny nodded slowly. "Sorry Rose, next time I'll keel over for you." Ginny rolled her eyes.

Harry's hand reached up to his chest. "Rose, do you have my ring?"

Ginny's hand did the same. Her eyes widened. "That's where the spell hit me. The chain must have broken."

Harry felt like something was slowly tearing him apart inside. "Don't get ssso worked up, Harry," came Sally's muffled voice from the floor. Dumbledore reached down, and brought up in his hand the ring, and a broken chain.

"I'm sure we can get you a new chain, Mr. Potter," he said handing the ring and chain to Harry.

Harry glanced at Ginny. It had been her chain first. "I think, maybe I'll just get this one fixed."

Harry sat in the hospital bed, staring at the wall. Ginny had long since recovered and returned to class. She had finals to take. Harry was being excused from them. There were a number of reasons. The part that required talent they were sure he had passed. Most of his classes didn't have finals, such as all of the Advanced classes, and Sirius' class. But the main reason was that he couldn't move.

He couldn't turn over, sit up, or lift his head. He had to lie on his front, and stare at the bed sheet, or turn his head and stare at the wall. His back was still nowhere close to being healed.

An owl flew in the open window. The window was just high enough that Harry couldn't see out of it. It flew over to him with a letter. Being very careful about how he moved his arms, he took it.

__

Dear Harry,

We hear you've gotten yourself in an all out mess. A problem with your back, or something like that. The newspapers aren't very clear on what happened. But isn't your final house game coming up? For the cup? 

You better be up to it!

We're coming to watch you play. We are going to be stealing you this summer, mostly on weekends. 

We would have practiced more this year if you hadn't been so busy. 

__

School comes first, don't listen to him. We just wanted to let you know we're coming to watch your game. 

Get well soon,

Tiffany and Tony.

Harry pressed his face into the bed sheet. This was exactly what he was worrying about. The final game against Hufflepuff was in three days. By the looks of it, his back wasn't going to heal for the next few months. The Gryffindor house was also trailing right behind Slytherin in house points. The house was counting on the Quidditch team to set them over the top. Madam Pomfrey was dead set against him not going, despite Harry's many cries against it.

But he had a plan. 

For the next hour, he stared at the wall, waiting. Suddenly there was the sound of a door opening, and footsteps. Ginny's face suddenly appeared three inches away from him. "Hullo."

Harry stared at her, trying to push away that feeling. "I brought him," she said with a puzzled look.

"C'mere Colin," Harry mumbled

With eyes wide, the short boy appeared in Harry's small range of vision. "Y-yes Harry?"

Harry's eyes traveled up to the boy's hair. He grinned. "I thought so. Rose, close the curtains. Is Sal here?"

"Yesss," came a reply from where Ginny was closing the curtains. 

"Sal, keep watch for me. Let me know if Madam Pomfrey comes. Both of you, come to where I can see you."

Both Ginny and Colin came into Harry's view, and he tried to reach for something on the bedside table, and couldn't move his arm that far. "What do you want?" Ginny asked quickly.

"There's a tube of hair gel there. Give it to Colin."

Ginny handed it to Colin like he said, but gave Harry a look. "Harry, you're starting to scare me."

"Hear me out. Colin, the big game is in three days. She is _not_ going to let me out of here. I _have_ to go. Rose, you have the cloak right?"

Ginny grinned and nodded, starting to put together his plan. "Okay, this is what we'll do. Right before the game, Rose will come to see me. With Colin under the cloak. Then Colin, you need to mess up your hair, pull the sheets up to your neck, and hide your face in the pillows. You will pose as me, while I go to the game. Nobody will find out until afterwards. I'll tell them that Madam Pomfrey let me out, and nobody will know otherwise until the game is over. You won't get in trouble, I'll take the heat, and quite frankly, I don't think they'll be too upset with me."

"Harry, that's a great plan and all, but there's one problem."

"What is it Rose?"

"You can't move your back at all."

"Correction, I can move my back. It just hurts a whole hell of a lot."

"Are you going to take your pain killers for the game?"

"I can't. They mess with my head. I won't be able to see the snitch. I've been through worse, I'll just tough it out."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Positive."

Three days later, Ginny ran out of the locker room, assuring the team not to forfeit yet. "Ginny, he's been in there for three weeks. You are one of the only people he lets in to see him. He's not going to be here."

"Don't be so sure!" Ginny shouted back at her brother. She had Harry's robes and broom with her, and she was already in her game robes. She reached the front doors, where she had left Colin. "Where are you?" she whispered.

"Here," came an invisible reply. 

"Take these," she said holding out the robe and broom. "She'll know if she sees me with them." The two third years raced through the halls, reaching the hospital wing in record time.

"Miss. Weasley, you've already been in to see him once today."

Ginny thought fast. She put a sad defeated look on her face. "I know Madam, but I'd like to comfort him about missing the game. He's really upset we had to forfeit you know."

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt-"

A grin spread across Ginny's face. "Thanks!" She dashed past Madam Pomfrey, hoping Colin was still behind her.

"I'm here Harry."

"Close the curtains."

In a few moments' time, Harry had pulled himself out of bed for the first time in three weeks, and was pulling the robes on over the bandages on his back. There were tight lines around his eyes, but he gave no sign other then that of his pain. They fixed Colin's hair and got him into the bed, stuffing a sheet under the blankets to make his legs look longer.

"Okay, don't talk," Harry whispered. "In fact, um, cry."

"Cry? Harry have you lost it? Don't you have a reputation to protect?"

Colin had grown up a lot since the last time Harry had actually talked to him. "Just do it! Hide your face."

"If you say so." Colin hid his face in the pillow, and started to make sobbing noises. Harry threw the invisibility cloak over himself and followed Ginny out through the curtains. Madam Pomfrey was coming over to investigate the crying.

Ginny pulled the curtains shut again as soon as she was out. "He's more upset then even I knew," she explained to Madam Pomfrey. "He says he wants to be alone for a while."

Pomfrey glanced at the curtains, then nodded and turned. Ginny walked slowly out of the room, letting Harry follow her at his own pace.

As soon as they were out of the hospital wing, Harry through off the cloak and carefully mounted his broom. "I'm so glad we think alike. Come on, we'll fly faster then I can walk. The team will forfeit if we're not there."

The two of them sped off, Ginny being very careful not to touch his back at all. As they were coming towards the main door, Harry spoke again. "My socks. I need my socks."

"They're in your pocket, on the right, inside."

Harry reached down to pull out the faded red socks. "You're an angle Rose."

"Well, as I'm supposed to kiss them if we when the game, I realized I couldn't do that if we didn't have them."

They stopped to open the door and give Harry a chance to put on his socks, which caused him to hiss in pain. He still refused to let Ginny help him. They went out the door, and got on the broom again, and sped off toward the locker room.

"George, they're not coming. Let's go tell them we forfeit. There's always next year."

"Doesn't the captain have to announce a forfeit?" Harry asked from the doorway.

"Harry!" they all exclaimed.

"No time for a prep talk team. Just get out there and play. And boys, if a bludger hits me, I'm going to black out. So don't let it happen, okay?"

Before anybody could reply, Harry and Ginny started to lead the way to the door.

"Harry," one of the twins said from behind him. "Did Madam Pomfrey tell you it was okay if you left."

"No," Harry answered.

"Does she know you left?" Katie asked with concern.

"I'm still there. Both of my teams are here. Please help me impress the one that isn't playing," Harry said as the team walked out the door that led to the field.

Every member of the team besides Ginny and Harry was very confused, but the roar of the crowd kept them from asking any more questions.

"And I don't believe it, but Potter is playing! The Gryffindor team does not forfeit, and the game will go on!"

Dumbledore's lips curved into a smile. He shook his head slightly.

"Didn't you say he wasn't able to move?" Tony asked from the seat beside Dumbledore. 

"He isn't," Dumbledore answered.

Tony turned and watched the very careful and awkward way Harry climbed onto the broom. "For the love of Pete! Look at how he moves! It's not possible to fly like that. You're going to let him play?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It was his decision. If he wants to play, and is willing to put up with the pain, it is his choice."

Harry glanced up, and spotted his team, sitting in some of the best seats with Dumbledore. Harry grinned and waved as best he could, his eyes shifting slightly to Dumbledore.

The team and Dumbledore waved back, the team dumbfounded, and Dumbledore smiling. "He's out of his mind. Is he taking anything for pain?"

"He was given pills," Dumbledore answered. "But I believe I overheard an argument between him and the nurse about how they have some uncomfortable side effects on his head and vision. I do believe he only takes them to sleep now."

"Bloody crazy," Tony muttered.

"Tony, he's not crazy," Tiffany scolded, "he's dedicated. That's his team, he's not going to let them down." The players took off and the game was started.

"He's playing! He's bloody playing Hermione!"

"Yes Ron, I can see that." The parenting final was over, and Hermione and Ron had made the top grade, but between them tensions still ran high.

"You were in there yesterday, his back is horrible. He shouldn't be playing."

"Rose is there. If he shouldn't be playing, she wouldn't let him."

"But I bet he didn't take his pills. He shouldn't be moving. YES! Go Katie!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, then started to watch Harry again. She secretly agreed with Ron, and tried to tell herself that she was right, and he was fine, but she only half believed it.

Harry tried to keep his mind on the snitch. _'Look for the snitch. It will stop hurting if you find the snitch. Gold, small. Turn around, keep looking.'_ His mind was still sharp, he wasn't going to pass out from the pain. But his mind wanted to think about the pain, and how much it hurt, and it was hard for Harry to keep it away from that subject.

He couldn't watch out for Bludgers at the same time. But one of the twins had marked Harry, and was guarding him without being in the way.

His back was on fire. No, it was being struck with lightning every time he moved. He tried to keep still, not move at all and only steer with his hands. But it was amazing to see how much movement it took to stay balanced on a broomstick when you couldn't move. 

His eyes searched, scanned the field, over and over. His eyes fell on Ginny, and lingered for only moment. She made a particularly good save, and the feeling he had worked so hard _not_ to think about for the past three weeks, hit, _hard_.

But for once he didn't push it away. It was a comfort from the pain, and made him a little more focused. 

A half an hour passed, and the score was eighty to forty, with Gryffindor in the lead. They had already scored enough points to push them over the top for the House cup. Now if he could just find the snitch, they could have the Quidditch cup too.

The other seeker hadn't spotted anything yet either, and Harry was starting to regret playing. _'That snitch is hiding just to spite me. Had it been any other game, it would-'_ His thoughts stopped, as he spotted it in the worst possible place for it to be. Right above the ground.

Dives were Harry's specialty, but pulling out of one in this state was going to be, painful wasn't the word. Suicidal was more appropriate. 

Whimpering, Harry turned face down and started to dive. He pushed for speed, not because he needed to outrun the other seeker, nobody else had noticed anything yet. But because if that snitch disappeared he would probably forfeit. He couldn't take anymore. 

"Potter's spotted the snitch!" 

_'You're a little late on seeing that one," _Harry thought. He was close, the other seeker was on the other side of the field, so he slowed down. Pulling out of a dive would be easier and less painful if he wasn't going so fast.

The snitch waited, about a yard above the ground. Harry reached out with his right hand, hissing at the pain. He readied his left to pull out, wishing he could close his eyes to brace himself for the pain. 

His hand closed around cool metal, and he pulled up with his left arm. He yelled out, his back feeling like somebody had just split it with a knife from his left shoulder blade to his hip. Little fairies danced in front of his eyes. There was cheering, but it seemed far away. He landed his broom, falling down onto his knees. People running onto the field stopped coming near him.

There was a thud beside him to announce Ginny's land. "I knew this would happen," she said as Dumbledore and the Catapults came over. Ginny reached into her pocket and pull out three blue pills. "Take these."

Harry groaned. "They-"

"Harry, do I sound like I give a damn what they do to your head? Take them. Now."

Harry reached to take the pill with his left arm, then cried out again. Then Ginny saw the back of his scarlet robe was turning a much deeper red.

"Harry, you broke it open again. Professor, he's bleeding again!"

Dumbledore came over to help Harry's back, and Ginny fell to her knees in front of Harry's face. His breath was coming in gasps. She pushed some of his sweaty bangs out of his eyes and smiled at him. "We won the cup, Captain." She pushed the pills into his mouth and Harry swallowed them.

"My socks," he took another breath, "will be waiting for you." He managed a weak smile, before he was interrupted by Dumbledore having him pull his robe off over his head, leaving him in his black pants and the once white but now red with blood bandages wrapped all around his chest.

"Hey Harry," Tony kneeled down beside Ginny. "Way to play."

"Tony," Ginny said, looking up. "Can you and the rest of the team get the crowd out of here?"

"Sure thing. Boys, and Tiffany!" In only a moment, the Catapults had the crowd away, and cheering loudly for the victory of Gryffindor. The rest of the Gryffindor team, and Ron and Hermione, were moving over to where Ginny was.

"Harry, why did you play?" Ron asked kneeling down beside his sister.

"I had to."

"We could have forfeited," George said.

"We wouldn't have minded," Fred finished.

"We lost the cup once before because I was stuck in bed. I didn't intend to let it happen again. I know you guys want to throw a party, but after she finds out that little Colin isn't me, I don't think Madam Pomfrey is going to be very keen on my having visitors, so go with the house."

"Harry, we need you to stand up." With the help of Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall Harry got to his feet. McGonagall was crying. "Professor, don't cry."

"I'm not," she answered quickly. Then she reached down and picked something up, and pushed it into Harry's hand. "Congratulations Mr. Potter."

Dumbledore started to lead him toward the school. "Thank you Professor," he called. "Rose?"

"I'm right behind you," she answered. He handed the cup back to her. 

"You always are," he whispered. Dumbledore heard it and smiled at him, making Harry blush.

Harry was right about Madam Pomfrey becoming very strict with Harry. However he knew that when she thought he wasn't looking, she would smile proudly at him. It amazed her what he was willing to go through for his team.

The Catapults did get in to see him the next morning. "It was a great game, Harry." Harry had set up a mirror, so he could look at all the people standing behind him.

"Yeah, I guess it was."

"We've decided not to pull you in for practices this summer. And then you turn fifteen in July, and next season, during the summer, you can play."

"I can't play this season?"

"It starts before your birthday, so no. Plus, you can't play physically, that's why we're not going to practice this summer. But next year, Professor Dumbledore says that we will get you every other weekend, if you want. We'll be ready to go for the European Championship."

"Is that next year?"

"Yes, and with you as a seeker, we can't lose it." There was a noise at the window, making everybody turn to look and Harry shift his mirror. But they saw nothing. Harry grinned.

"Rose?"

Ginny's face suddenly appeared with a sheepish grin. "I didn't know she was letting in other people, just not me."

"I think the triplets talked her into it."

"We would-"

"Never do-

"Such a thing."

Ginny laughed, folding up Harry's invisibility cloak. "She won't let me in. She's so mad at me for sneaking him out. So I sneak in." She turned to Harry. "Did you take your pills?"

"Nope." 

Ginny sighed. "You're hopeless."

"All men are," Tiffany said patting Ginny's shoulder.

"Where's Sally?"

"She said she refused to be a part of my crime. She'll be in later through the crack under the door." Harry and the team laughed, though Harry stopped quickly because it hurt.

Before too much longer, the team left, and Ginny pulled a chair over so she could sit where Harry wouldn't need a mirror to see her. She laid in the chair with her head resting on one arm, and her legs hanging over the other, as she examined her nails. Harry watched her intently through the bars of the bed. Ginny felt his eyes and looked up.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"So how long do you think before Madam Pompom finds me and kicks me out again?"

"Well, I think she's taking a nap, so we may have a while this time."

"Well damn, now I don't have an excuse to leave. I have to sit here and act like I'm interested in the lack of conversation we're having."

"You know, you don't have to stay in here."

"What would you do, stare at a wall?" She pulled a file out of her pocket and started to file down her nail.

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Thank you."

"It's really no big deal. It's not like I have anything else to be doing."

"No, not just this. Thanks, for everything." Harry's green eyes were burning, so when Ginny looked up, it only took a second for her to look down again with a blush on her cheeks.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, okay, now stand up, slowly." Ron laughed. "It's not funny Ron. What if he breaks them open again? Huh? Then what? He still has to go home, bleeding."

Ron stifled his laughter by covering his mouth. Hermione was also very close to laughing at Ginny's behavior, and even Harry was smiling through his pain. Sirius and Heather just watched.

"This is a great show," Sirius said to Heather. 

Ginny glared up at him. "You could be helping." Harry started to laugh so hard that he sat back down, and the entire room broke into laughter except for Ginny, who crossed her arms and glared at all of them. "It isn't funny."

Harry reached up, and yanked on her sleeve hard, causing her to lose her balance. She fell half on the bed, half in Harry's lap. The room went silent. Ginny looked up at Harry who was trying not to laugh, and then she started to laugh. They took a moment to calm down as he set her upright again.

"I'm won't break, Rose. I'm a little bit stronger then that. They went through a whole Quidditch game without breaking until the very end."

"Yes but-" with a jerk and a few chosen words in Parseltongue, Harry was up off the bed and standing.

"See?" he said as soon as he could speak again. Ginny rolled her eyes. "We should hurry, the train will leave soon. I still have to walk down there."

"I have to say goodbye now." Sirius walked over and hugged Harry, touching only his shoulders. "Be good. Don't cause too much trouble."

"I won't, I promise."

Heather kissed him on the cheek. "Watch your back."

"I will. What are you two going to do?"

Heather and Sirius glanced at each other. "Well, I'm going to hide some more."

"And I'm going to get a dog." 

"Where will you live? Are you going back to the states? When will I see you again?"

"I'm staying on this side of the ocean. Dumbledore is working it so I can get into Sirius' old house. That's where we'll be staying."

"So you should see us soon."

Harry hugged his godparents again, his eyes blurring. "I love you guys."

"We love you too Harry. Take care of yourself okay?" Harry nodded as Heather slipped the collar back on the dog that was Sirius. Heather led Sirius out of the Hospital wing.

"You'll see them again soon Harry," Ron said, trying to comfort.

"Sirius is going looking for Wormtail again. Heather's helping. They don't think I know."

"How _do_ you know?" Hermione asked.

"Because otherwise Heather would be having Harry come stay with her," Ginny answered. Harry nodded, then turned his attention back to getting outside. 

"Harry, I almost forgot." Hermione reached into her pocket. "Ron and I sneaked out this morning real early and got it fixed. It was the place where Ron got my earrings, she's our friend, she won't tell anybody we were out of school." Hermione handed the golden chain to Harry. 

Harry peeked out of the corner of his eye at Ginny while he pulled the ring off his finger and put it back on the chain. "It had a new unbreakable charm on it too."

"Thanks guys."

"No problem."

After a very slow paced walk to the outside, and a painful ride in a horse-less carriage, and saying goodbye to Hagrid, Harry finally climbed on the train. Ginny had already marked off a compartment for them. She had come down that morning, telling McGonagall that Harry would need at least three seats so he could lay down and that she wanted to save them.

The train ride was once again bitter sweet. Sally stayed on Harry's neck, and Harry laid across three seats while the others sat all around and they talked. But Ginny was across from him, and Harry still hadn't figured out this feeling. It now hit strong every time she looked at him. He was afraid that once they separated, he wouldn't be able to figure it out.

"I guessssss we'll have to wait until next year," Sally said with a sigh.

"Wait for what?" Ginny and Harry said at the same time.

"Oh, did I sssay that aloud? I'm sssorry. Nothing."

Harry looked at Ginny in confusion, but the question was pushed out of his head as soon as he looked at her. _'Maybe if I _stop_ thinking about it, the answer will come to me. No, that didn't work for the past month. I wish I knew.'_

Far too quickly, they stopped at the station. The Dream Team was slow in getting off, because they had to help Harry. Once they walked through the platform, they all helped to carry Harry's things to his uncle's car.

"Bye Harry, we'll right lots."

"I'll be going to Hermione's, so send my letters there."

"You're going to her house? Why?"

"Didn't I tell you? I failed my Divination final, on purpose mind you. So I asked McGonagall if I could switch to Muggle Studies. She said only if I could catch up to where they are going to be. So Hermione's giving me a crash coarse."

"Well, behave!" The two of them blushed. "See, see? There it is, I knew it! Be good! I mean it."

Laughing, Ginny pushed the beat red Ron and Hermione out of the way so she could hug Harry. She hugged him around the neck, not touching his back, and he returned it wholeheartedly. "Be careful, Harry. Try to have a good summer."

"I'm still coming for your birthday, if I can ride or not." 

Ginny smiled. "Okay, I can take that."

"Good."

Ginny looked at the floor, as the back of her neck heated. The silence became a thick soup between them.

"Boy, are you coming?"

Harry glared at his uncle, then looked back at Ginny. "I'll write."

"Uh, yeah, so will I."

"Bye then."

"Bye."

Harry walked over to the car and opened the door. He sat down carefully, watching out the other window as Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron climbed into one car, and Hermione into the one next to it. Ginny looked over and waved, and something inside Harry jerked.

_'I'm going to miss her.'_ He blinked. His back stopped hurting as he went numb. That was it. That _had_ to be it. No. It couldn't be. There was no way for it. The car started to pull away and Harry turned quickly, ignoring the pain in his back, trying to get one more glance on the Weasley's car, but all he saw was the car, not the people.

It wasn't possible. He had to be wrong. But he was right. The feeling was so easily explained. But it still couldn't be. _'It's not possible. I- I don't, _like _like, Rose, do I?'_

And suddenly, Sally on his neck, started to laugh, but Harry didn't hear her, because he was in shock. 

End of Year of Truth

__

(A/N: Now I'm in shock. Oh my. It's DONE! YES!!!! I'm finished. Oh yeah. But don't think you're done with me yet! OH NO! The sequel is already started, and so is the sequel to that, and many more after that. Read my bio, every one with a title, is started. So stay tuned for.... 

"Wormtail's Revenge" Ginny is in trouble. She's being targeted by an unknown enemy, who wants to kill her, and will do anything to see her dead. But this isn't the problem. The problem is, Ginny has six brothers and two parents, all of which can be used against her. So she has to turn to Harry, the only one who can help her while her mother is recovering from an attack that was aimed at her. But Harry has his own troubles. He's just realized that he has a crush on Ginny. So what's going to happen when he has to come live with her, while all her brothers are gone, her father is at work, and her mother is sick in bed?

You'll have to read it to find out. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. ~Lily Rose Potter)


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